The White Demon's Heart
by MoonSword1994
Summary: Things around Odd Jobs Gin have been surprisingly status quo; unless you count the fact Gintoki and Kagura are now involved with each other! Not only that, but it would appear that some people from the past are reemerging and have big plans for those living in the country once known as the Land of the Samurai. Well, maybe things are getting a little exciting.
1. Chapter 1

**Midnight Revelations Require Strawberry Milk**

Gintoki could not sleep, not even after the long, exhausting lovemaking session he had just had which seemed to have put his companion right to sleep though given how she had exerted herself he was hardly surprised. Even after nearly half a year of this ritual he and Kagura were still unable to curtail their activities to acceptable levels of noise, time, and bruises. He smirked to himself, knowing that his landlady and her "daughters" would probably scold him the next morning for the sounds that he knew came from his apartment. He shrugged at the thought, knowing it would not be the first time they had gotten onto him for this kind of incident.

Hours seemed to pass as he continued to stare blankly up at the ceiling, attempting to will his body to sleep but it adamantly refused to listen to him; instead his mind decided to forcibly show him images he had been trying to hide away in the darkest corners of his brain. The first image was of Kagura wearing a red _qipao_ , her long red hair flowing freely down her back as she walked up to him, a huge smile on her doll-like face. His heart raced at the thought of her coming to him as his bride. The next cruelly created image made his stomach flip, it was again of Kagura but only this time she was holding a small child with naturally wavy silver hair close to her chest, singing it a lullaby. He tried not to smile as the image continued to unfold to include him sitting beside her, pulling her and the child onto his lap as he relaxed and listened to her sing, quietly joining in with her. The final scene caused his chest to constrict, he saw an older Kagura standing beside him her hand entwined with his, and they were looking out from the balcony of a nice home watching as children played together in the yard below. Just watching the moment play out filled him with an unfamiliar sense of peace and against his better judgment he sighed contentedly.

When he realized what he had done, he shook his head hard against those thoughts no matter how much he had enjoyed them, it would do him and Kagura no good if he continued to think this way and imagine a future with her. It would cause them both nothing but endless grief. Gintoki knew he loved Kagura deeply, more than he thought possible, considering the circumstances under which he and the red-headed Yato had met; but he had to constantly remind himself that their relationship was going to be a brief and short-lived experience. No matter how much he wanted it to be to the contrary. Kagura was a beautiful and incredible almost nineteen-year-old girl . . . woman, he mentally amended and he was nothing but a lazy and aging samurai with nothing to offer a woman like her. He thought she deserved to be with someone her age that could shower her with food and adventures, not some lay about who could barely afford the already cheap rent of his substandard apartment. Actually, he expected her everyday to look at him and tell him that she was leaving him to make a better life for herself with someone else. There was no way in hell he expected Kagura to give up her youth just to stay with him, and in all honesty, it would be too selfish of him to ask that of her.

He sighed heavily and turned over on his side so he was now facing the object of his troubled thoughts, as he gazed at her sleeping form he found himself noticing how beautiful she looked illuminated by the moonlight. Just as she was when she was awake, she was the picture of innocence and naivety, at least until she opened her mouth or was provoked into some kind of attack; then her true strength and experience were there for all to witness. Gintoki propped himself up on his elbow and just watched her sleep, listening to her steady and even breathing that made her ample chest rise and fall with each breath. His eyes moved from her chest up the white column of her neck to her angelic face, where they paused as he mused over the various expressions that beautiful face was able to make at any given moment. His favorite face had to be whenever she got something she wanted, it was always one of unadulterated joy, and he used any excuse he could to get her to look like that.

His journey continued up from her face to her long tresses that were fanned out over her pillow in a glorious cascade of red fire, an unmistakable color that was so very Kagura. Gintoki had never met another person with hair like hers and honestly he did not want to, he was content to believe that the color existed purely on Kagura's head. Without really thinking about what he was doing he reached over with his free hand and twisted a lock of her hair around his fingers, moving it so it caught the moonlight just right. He had never noticed how rich the color really was until now, since she usually kept her head covered by her umbrella to prevent sun exposure on her alabaster skin.

Honestly, there was a great deal he had not noticed about Kagura until a short time ago, and thinking of that time made Gintoki frown deeply as he released the hair he was holding. She had grown into a beautiful woman seemingly right under his nose and he had hardly paid attention to the changes, seeing her still as the young girl he had met. Now she was wearing clothes that young adult women wear though she still looked like a China girl, and she no longer wore her hair up in buns kept in place by her headpiece instead letting it fall freely down her back or braided, and she had started asking questions that only a mother or sister should or for that matter could answer. _'Thank god for Tae,'_ he thought with a sigh of relief, remembering when their friend had come to his rescue and explained everything that Kagura had questions about over the course of a weekend. Fortunately for him, Kagura went to Tae for answers for her more female related questions now and saved him the trouble of explaining where babies and breast milk comes from. That was at least one load off of his mind regarding Kagura.

Even though she was now considered a young woman, he still felt a stab of guilt deep in his gut each time he kissed her or pulled back the covers whenever she came to bed. They were both consenting adults and aware of what decisions they were making; yet at the same time Gintoki thought he was taking advantage of the situation he was in by encouraging her romantic advances and making some of his own. She had trusted him for years with her life and secrets, and he had come to see her as his closest confidant and friend, still he felt that he and their relationship was holding her back. Kagura could be off hunting monsters with her father or returning to her home world and helping them rebuild, instead she was still on Earth with him; while he was glad to have her he thought she could have a more fulfilling life. He did not want her to live with any regrets; her heart did not need that kind of burden.

Gintoki still refused, however, to think of Kagura being happy with someone else; he knew it was wrong but he wanted to be the only one she let see her vulnerable, and to know the little secrets about her body that only he knew. He did not want another man to discover that spot behind her ear that made her defenses crumble away, or to know how wonderful her skin felt, or to see her face when she was at the peak of pleasure. No, he wanted those treasures all for himself, and to know that someone else might take his place and learn all he knew was gut-wrenchingly agonizing. He could practically feel his heart and brain at war with each other in his body over whether or not he should graciously let her go and be glad of the time they shared or be completely selfish and hold onto her until he died. This was truly one of the most difficult battles he had ever had in his life.

"Gintoki," came a soft voice and he glanced down to find Kagura's large sapphire orbs were on him. "Gintoki, I've decided something."

Gintoki gulped and tried to breathe, he knew this moment would come sooner or later, that she would say she was had come to the decision to leave and that he was no longer who she wanted. _'Like hell,'_ he thought angrily, the battle between his heart and mind finally reaching a conclusion. Even if she tried to leave, he would argue with her until she saw reason and would decide to stay by his side: and he would do everything in his power to keep her there.

"Huh? What is it, Kagura?" he asked stoically, desperately trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice as he spoke.

"I've decided that I want _okayu_ and soft baked apples for breakfast tomorrow," she said hazily before falling back asleep before he had the chance to reply.

Kagura's statement washed over him and he took a moment to allow it to properly sink in, when it did he felt completely foolish. Here he was thinking that she was going to tell him his worst fears had been realized when all along she had been thinking with her stomach like always! He chuckled at his stupidity, thinking to himself that Kagura really would never change and that her stomach would always dictate her thinking for her while he would never get over being completely dense at times. His decision though regarding Kagura had not changed and would not change: he loved her and despite all that was conspiring against them, he wanted her to be his partner in every sense of the word. Gintoki smiled warmly as he nestled back down beside her, pulling her body flush against his as he felt sleep tugging at his body. Before sleep completely took him, he decided that while he was out shopping for Kagura's breakfast, he would find her a suitable ring.

* * *

Kagura stared brazenly at Tae's swollen belly, amazed that her older sister's kimono was able to contain the growing mass within, for a few moments she wondered if she poked it enough would the fabric tear. It seemed stretched to the limit yet somehow it did not show any signs of yielding to the ever-growing region of Tae's body. Kagura was curious as to why her friend's body had expanded in size in such a short time, after all she was just having a baby and they were small, except maybe it was Kondo's fault; he was a gorilla-man after all.

"We've decided to name him Hideaki!" announced Kondo proudly as he patted Tae's belly gently, earning him a loving smile from his normally hostile wife. "A fine name for a samurai, wouldn't you agree, Gintoki?"

The silver haired samurai shrugged as he helped himself to a bite of chocolate parfait. "I suppose so," he said around his food. "Anything's better than Gorilla-ko." He quickly ducked out of reach as Tae's fist came flying through the air at alarming speed, narrowly missing the massive punch she had intended.

Kondo was alarmed and pulled his wife back into her seat before starting to fret over her. "Are you alright? Did you strain your back throwing that punch? Do you need Bargain Dash?"

"They were made for each other," mumbled Gintoki as he peered over the edge of the table from his new position on the floor and Kagura giggled before passing him his parfait. "Thank you, Kagura."

"Anytime, my dense samurai," she replied with a wink and he rolled his eyes as he slunk back under the table. "Is Shinpachi pleased to know he's going to have a little nephew soon?"

Tae sighed heavily and for a brief moment Kagura saw the sadness in her sister's eyes before she hid it quickly. "I tried to tell him but he refused to let me in, and in my condition it was pointless to break down the door," she said with a fake smile. "I left him a note telling the good news."

"If you ask me he's behaving rather childishly," said Gintoki from under the table then his arm extended out with an empty parfait glass. "Kagura, could you order me another one?"

"Order it yourself, lazy!" she said with a glare as she took a stick of pickled seaweed out of a packet in her pocket and started to suck on it. "Has he come out of his womb at all?"

"He's not in a womb, Kagura," said Kondo with an exasperated sigh. "Shinpachi's in his _room_."

Gintoki's snicker reached their ears. "I like her explanation for his strange behavior much better than Gorilla's, it certainly makes more sense."

Kagura rolled her eyes as she nibbled on her snack, content to just listen to the others go back and forth on Shinpachi's ridiculous condition. He had been in his room for nearly five months now, ever since two traumatic events occurred within weeks of each other. The first event had to do with his pop idol crush, Tsuu Terakado; it was announced that she was now officially married to the Shogun's favorite nephew who was apparently a huge fan of hers and president of Shinpachi's rival fan club. When he heard the announcement, he went completely quiet then stood up from his seat and left the room without another word to anyone. He then proceeded to stay in his room for three and a half weeks.

The day he finally got over mourning the loss of his beloved pop idol to a rival happened to also be the day that Tae and Kondo announced the impending arrival of their first child. When he heard that news, Shinpachi burst into tears and ran from the dojo straight to his room; he had yet to emerge from his seclusion. It was very likely that Shinpachi would never come out of hiding, especially when he learned that Tsuu Terakado was now pregnant.

"Have you told him you're moving yet?" asked Kagura as she reached her hand down beneath the table in search of Gintoki's. Her small hand blindly searched for its target until she found something better, his hair, and proceeded to tangle her fingers in his curls sighing contentedly.

Tae again sighed and shook her head. "Not yet, the new house isn't quite ready yet but we'll have to tell him soon though. Maybe he'll like the house, since he has his own little house to himself in the garden."

"It's too bad you had to sell the dojo, Big Sis," said Kagura glumly as she twirled some of Gintoki's hair around her fingers. "You did so much to save it only to lose it in the end."

At this Tae genuinely smiled. "I didn't sell my father's dojo to just anybody, Kagura. Kondo and I sold it to Katsura as a training house for samurai, what's more is he's asked Kondo to be an instructor there with pay, so now we have double income to help with the family expenses."

"Sounds like your family is off to a prosperous start," said Gintoki from under the table, his statement earning him an affectionate nudge in the leg from Tae's foot. "I'm surprised Zura didn't ask me to be an instructor as well, but then again he might have been afraid that I'd make a fool of him in front of his Anti-Foreigner Fatheads."

Kondo shook his head. "No, I think it had more to do with the fact this position requires subtly, which in all honesty, is not exactly your strong point, Gintoki."

Gintoki seethed with anger, how dare they say he was obvious and obnoxious! The very nerve. "What kind of thing is that to say to a samurai?!" he demanded, agilely coming up from under the table at an incredible speed. "I can be very subtle! So subtle you wouldn't even know I was doing anything!"

"Oh yes, very subtle," said Kagura as she rolled her eyes. "It's not like you at all to fall off buildings and come crashing into rooms."

"I can be subtle," argued Gintoki indignantly as he sat back down beside her. "You just aren't paying attention when I am."

Kagura did not want to belabor the point; she was far too disinterested in the discussion to argue with her lover at this point, though he was not taking the hint and was rambling on and on about how he could be subtle. In her opinion, this was the exact opposite but she did not want the one-sided argument to drag out longer than it would without her input. She was far more fascinated with the way Kondo and Tae were behaving towards each other despite Gintoki's excessive ranting; there seemed to be a deeper level of affection between them, more than there was prior. She had noticed it somewhat after they announced they were going to have a baby, but she brushed it off as just some strange affect from finding out they had created a life together and that it would not be half-gorilla.

She had noticed too some differences between her relationship with Gintoki and her friend's relationship with her husband: Kondo was far more openly affectionate with Tae than Gintoki was with her, he often went out of his way to get her something he thought she would like, and he desperately tried to find new ways to make her happy. Kagura was not sure Gintoki did any of those things for her, after all he was not the warmest person to know on a good day; but then again, he did put his _yukata_ on her the other day when it was rainy and windy and held her tightly as they walked home. When she asked him why he did that when she had her umbrella, he just said that he did not want her to get sick, as she was a pain in the ass when she was. _'Okay, I guess that was a somewhat affectionate,'_ she conceded.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that he had done something that morning she liked, he had gone to the market and bought her soft baked apples to eat with some freshly prepared _okayu_. He claimed that she had woken him up in the middle of the night to place her order, which she could believe though what surprised her more was that he had not only remembered but he had gone and gotten them for her. _'Well, I suppose he did go out of his way to get me something I like,'_ she thought with a wistful smile.

She tried to think of a time recently when Gintoki had tried something with her because he wanted to see if it made her happy, though she was pretty sure he would count some of his new tricks in bed. Kagura felt her cheeks burn at the thought of what Gintoki had done the other night, even now the memory made her heart race in her chest and sent warmth spreading through her body. _'Yeah, I'll count that,'_ she mused as she glanced over at him; desperately hoping the blush on her cheeks was not as noticeable as she feared. _'I guess Gin's right, he is subtle, though not in the way he thinks.'_

Kagura smiled as she put another stick of seaweed in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she thought about her relationship with Gintoki some more. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him romantically, honestly if these thoughts continued the anime would drop from a comedic action story to a shojo one. Despite this, she felt that their relationship was missing something, something special. She looked once again at Tae, wondering what they had that she and Gintoki were missing, and the more she studied her friend the clearer the answer became.

 _'A baby!'_ she realized and as she continued to chew on her favorite snack, she dreamed of what it would be like to have a baby with Gintoki. The smile on her face should have been a very clear warning to all.


	2. Chapter 2

**When Ring Shopping for Your Girlfriend, Be Prepared for Total Disaster**

Kagura lay on the couch and tried to inflate her belly so it would look like Tae's, big and round and ready to burst, but no matter how hard she tried she could not successfully imitate her friend. She knew her abdomen could get that big, she had seen so herself whenever she ate kilo after kilo of rice, yet this time she wanted to see it get bigger with a baby instead of food. Inspired, she took the pillow from behind her head and stuffed it under her shirt, hoping that this would be a more satisfactory representation and sighed when she saw the result; it was somewhat round though lumpier than she had hoped. Her loyal companion Sadaharu came up to where she was laying and sniffed the pillow under her shirt, she distinctly heard him whine.

"What's wrong, Sadaharu?" she asked sweetly as she scratched under his large chin. "You don't want a little brother or sister?"

Sadaharu gave a slight bark in response and nuzzled against Kagura as best he could, making the young Yato laugh.

"I guess you just want it to be you, me, Gin, and Shinpachi," she said sitting up and taking the pillow out from under her shirt. "You know, Sadaharu, change isn't a bad thing; it can actually be quite fun! Look at all that's happened to us since we met, you can't tell me that some of those adventures weren't fun."

The giant dog tilted his head and stuck out his tongue panting, apparently agreeing with Kagura's assessment.

"See, I knew you had fun," said Kagura as she stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "Come on, Gin will be home soon and he'll probably be hungry from whatever he was doing all day, though playing Pachinko and hanging out with MADAO is hardly a way to build up an apatite. Right, Sadaharu?"

The massive dog barked as he followed her into the kitchen.

* * *

"You can't be serious, Gintoki!" exclaimed Hasegawa as he walked beside Gintoki towards a store neither of them thought possible to enter. "It'll be the end of life as you know it! You can't be yourself anymore, you have to be something different and so out of character for you!"

Gintoki brushed off his friend's comments with little care. "Hasegawa, aren't you the one always trying to get your wife back?"

Hasegawa nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then you have no right telling me that what I'm doing is crazy," said Gintoki as he pulled out his wallet and started counting the bills inside. "I have just enough for a nice ring for Kagura, and then I can put a deposit down this month on possibly purchasing Granny's apartment from her."

"See! That right there is what I'm talking about!" shouted the MADAO as Gintoki put his wallet back in his pocket. "You're starting to sound responsible, Gintoki, which is so very unlike your character. If you marry Kagura you'll turn into one of those guys who thinks about nothing except how to make money and keep his family financially secure! You'll change for the worse!"

Gintoki rolled his eyes. "Calm down, MADAO, you're attracting unnecessary attention."

Hasegawa's jaw fell as Gintoki entered the jewelry store. "I'm attracting unnecessary attention!? You're the mop-headed samurai going into a jewelry store in order to purchase an indestructible ring for a Yato girl!"

"Shut up and get in here!" shouted Gintoki from the door and without another word of protest Hasegawa followed him inside.

The jewelry store was massive, much larger and more enticing than either of them had thought and they were instantly lost in the dazzling splendor of the shiny pieces. They jumped from display to display, asking to try on various pieces of jewelry then modeling them in front of every mirror they saw. Several times Gintoki was tempted to purchase something outlandish for himself like a thick gold chain or a jewel encrusted sword handle for his wooden sword, he even thought about getting some silver grill for his teeth. Each time that he pulled out his money for a purchase, however, Hasegawa would smack him upside the head and point at the only counter they had yet to go to: the one with the engagement rings.

"Fine, fine, I'll go look," sighed Gintoki as he put the silver grill back on the display and made his way over to the engagement rings. He looked down and saw an endless sea of jewels and precious metals, all of different configurations and settings; he suddenly became very panicked. "Which one do I pick?!" he asked Hasegawa in a strained whisper. "I had no idea there were so many choices, I thought this would be simple!" He looked back at all of the different rings. "This is like trying to decide between the blue pill and red pill, you don't know if you've made the right decision until it's too late and then you're trapped!"

Hasegawa chuckled as he strode past the frantic Gintoki up the counter. "You're lucky I'm here, I have more experience buying rings than you do, just look at the ring I bought for Hatsu."

Gintoki smirked wickedly. "I would, if she wore it."

"That's not funny!" shouted Hasegawa angrily, though it had very little effect on Gintoki, who just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, now back to the task at hand," he said, once he had composed himself, and he looked back in the case. "Kagura's got pretty thin fingers, so that eliminates anything with a big stone."

"Not to mention she could use it as a weapon and rip someone's face off," mumbled Gintoki fondly as he looked in at the rings. There were several that caught his eye, though he was not sure any of them were right for Kagura. "Should I pick a silver or gold colored band?" That seemed like a safe and reasonable question.

Hasegawa looked at the options again. "Gold, Kagura's skin tone is more suited towards that color, though I'm not sure of its durability. It might snap when she clenches her fist."

"Are there any stronger metals than just gold?" asked Gintoki as he looked at the rings, this time not feeling as overwhelmed as before. "You know, made of stronger stuff than most building beams?"

"There's always tungsten," suggested Hasegawa, pointing at a thick-banded ring. "They say almost nothing can break that metal."

"Whoever they are obviously haven't met Kagura," mumbled Gintoki as he considered the different tungsten rings, they were not as pretty as the platinum or gold rings but he did not want to get her something she liked only to have it smash into dust when she played with Sadaharu. Then one caught his eye. "I like that one," he announced, pointing at a tungsten band with gold edging and a pattern of light blue swirls going around it.

Hasegawa looked at the ring Gintoki was pointing at proudly and nodded. "That's a very good ring, Gintoki, I think Kagura will like it."

Gintoki smiled broadly as he hailed a passing sale's clerk whom took the ring out of the display and put it in a black velvet box. He purchased the ring, pleased to find that it was cheaper than he had anticipated, and then proceeded to leave the store with Hasegawa a huge grin on his face as he thought about proposing to Kagura.

* * *

"Thanks for coming with me, Hasegawa," said Gintoki as they turned down the street he lived on. "I was hoping to have Shinpachi come with me, but from what Tae told me, he had a nervous breakdown when he learned about that idol of his being pregnant. She's going to send him to a mental hospital until he recovers."

"Anytime, Gintoki," said Hasegawa before taking a sip of the drink Gintoki bought him. "You know, I feel a little bad for Shinpachi, he's always been the levelheaded one around here and now he's gone completely insane."

"It was bound to happen," said Gintoki casually as he pulled the ring out again to look at it. "Being the Straight Man has to be stressful, so it was only a matter of time before he cracked. By the way, Hasegawa, how do you know so much about rings?"

Hasegawa grinned as he recalled sweet memories of his estranged wife, Hatsu. "Hatsu liked going to look at jewelry often," explained Hasegawa. "I'd be dragged along with her and she'd tell me all about how to choose a ring or how to know if a jewel was actually real; after a while I could repeat and understand her lessons."

Gintoki laughed loudly, it was too ridiculous. "If that's true then maybe you should work in a jewelry shop like that one we were just in, put those stupid lessons to use."

Hasegawa was about to respond when Gintoki put an arm out and stopped him from walking any further, and then he pulled out his _bokuto_ and threw it in a random direction though it looked aimed. There was a moment of silence before a distinct thud could be heard over the sounds of the busy streets and they started running in the direction of the sound. When they arrived they saw a lavender-haired woman lying on her back, red glasses knocked right off her face and Gintoki's _bokuto_ beside her head.

"I knew it," huffed Gintoki as he picked up his _bokuto_ and shook his head. "Stupid woman, she should know by now."

The woman at his feet began to stir and when she looked up and saw Gintoki standing above her, she smiled broadly before jumping to her feet and wrapping her arms possessively around his neck. "Gintoki!" she cried as he tried to pry her off of him. "I thought that was you, I'm so glad we bumped into each other!"

"What are you talking about?" demanded Gintoki as he attempted to use his _bokuto_ to break her hold on his neck. "You were stalking me, so you knew exactly where I was! This was no coincidence, woman!"

Sarutobi paid no attention and held him even tighter. "I'm so happy to see you," she said, pressing her body against his. "It's been so long since we last spoke, does this mean that you're no longer interested in that red-haired Yato slut?"

Gintoki snapped and kicked her squarely in the stomach, which sent her flying backwards into a pile of wicker baskets. "Do NOT call Kagura a slut!" he shouted as he readjusted his _yukata_.

The lavender-haired ninja still did know when to quit, she quickly recovered from his attack and lunged at his feet as he walked away, causing him to fall and the ring box to come tumbling out of his pocket. Sarutobi saw it fall out and scrambled to get it before he did, opening it to see what it contained.

"You bought me a ring!" she exclaimed, promptly slipping the ring on her finger though it was much too small for her fingers. "It's beautiful, though I would have preferred something a little more kinky, like a cl—"

Gintoki clamped a hand over her mouth. "Do you want us to get banned?" he asked and she shook her head. "Then do not complete that sentence, for the love of all that is holy, don't!"

She nodded and he released his hand, though her eyes were hazed over with lust at this point, she loved it when Gintoki yelled and treated her roughly.

"Now hand over the ring," he said, holding out his hand, expecting her to comply with his request. "I'm giving it to Kagura tonight and I don't want you tagging along."

"I can't," said Sarutobi, she was desperately trying to pull it off her finger but it was stuck. "The damn thing's stuck! Figures though, that you'd buy a cheap ring for a cheap woman."

"That ring cost me more than you think, woman!" shouted Gintoki and he took hold of the ring and started pulling, finding that she was not lying about it being stuck on her finger. "Hasegawa!" he called to his friend whom was standing around looking dazed. "Find something oily or soapy and bring it here! My stalker got Kagura's ring stuck on her finger."

Hasegawa laughed at the absurdity of the statement as he ran off to fulfill his friend's request, returning a short while later with a small bowl of cooking oil from one of the nearby restaurants. He came back just in time, because he distinctly heard Gintoki muttering something about cutting Sarutobi's finger off.

"Here's the oil!" he said as he came back to them. "No need to resort to that kind of violence, besides it takes a lot of cleaning to get blood off of a ring like that."

Gintoki gratefully took the oil and poured some of it on Sarutobi's finger, ignoring the pleasured sounds that came from the ninja. He handed the bowl back to Hasegawa and with a sharp tug, freed the ring from his stalker's finger, to his immense relief and Sarutobi's great disappointment.

"Does this mean that you're going to marry Kagura?" asked Sarutobi as she watched Gintoki clean the ring with the corner of his sleeve before putting it back in the box.

"It does," he replied with a bright smile. "By this time tomorrow, Kagura will be my fiancée and we'll be planning a feast for a wedding!"

Sarutobi knew this was her last chance to keep Gintoki for herself, her last chance to prevent him from making what she thought was a terrible mistake, so she did the only logical thing: she kicked the ring box in Gintoki's hand and sent it sailing. The three of them watched as the ring box was shot well out of sight and before she could claim Gintoki, he ran off in the general direction he had seen the box travel.

* * *

"Nothing's ever easy, is it?" he asked himself as he climbed up the side of a building towards its roof, he and Hasegawa had managed somehow to guess the right direction of the ring and saw just in time it land on this roof. He glanced down and tried not to cry out in fear, he was not ordinarily afraid of heights but today it seemed to have gotten the better of him and he clung desperately to the drainpipe he was climbing up. "This is for Kagura," he told himself. "You have to do this or you just lost most of your money."

With new resolve he skillfully climbed the pipe and ended up on the roof only to come face to face with Katsura.

"Hello Gintoki," said Katsura pleasantly, his faithful companion Elizabeth standing beside him with a sign that read, 'Hello.'

"Hi Zura," said Gintoki as he scanned the rooftop. "Have you seen a black box around here?"

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," said Katsura with a slight frown. "And does this black box have velvet covering its outer shell?"

Gintoki looked up and almost tackled Katsura, though he settled for just putting him in a headlock. "You have it, you bastard!" he accused, ignoring Elizabeth's sign waving in his peripheral vision. "Give it back! I need it."

"Only if you let go of me," managed Katsura and Gintoki readily complied, eager to have Kagura's ring back. Katsura reached into the folds of his kimono and pulled out the box, with Gintoki swiftly taking it from his hand. "What's in the box that's so important to you?"

"Kagura's engagement ring," said Gintoki without really thinking and he looked to see Katsura standing with his mouth hanging open and Elizabeth holding a sign that read, 'What?! Really?!'

Once Katsura recovered from the initial shock, he smiled brightly and embraced Gintoki, much to the silver-haired samurai's chagrin. "This is wonderful news, Gintoki!" said Katsura at last. "You and Leader have finally decided that you're better off together than apart, I'm so happy. She is your equal in every way, and I can't think of a more wonderful bride for you, my friend."

Gintoki was now very uncomfortable with his friend's display of affection. "Uh, Zura, could you please let go and stop saying stuff like that?" he asked, pushing on Katsura's chest, but like Sarutobi, he did not release Gintoki.

Katsura finally released Gintoki though he was still smiling. "It's not Zura, it's Katsura," he said, crossing his arms. "And I am only offering my sincerest congratulations about your upcoming wedding, Gintoki. Knowing that you have found someone who makes you happy is enough to make your friends content as well, it means you're starting to grow up, even if it's just a little bit."

"You know something," said Gintoki as he put the ring box back in his _yukata_. "I don't feel like kicking your ass for that comment, Zura."

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," said Katsura before letting out a loud laugh, and Gintoki joined in. Elizabeth moved in for a group hug, but accidentally knocked both of them over, causing the ring box to escape Gintoki and tumble through the air. The three of them watched as the box landed on one of its corners, popped open and let the ring go rolling down the busy street.

"Get that ring!" shouted Gintoki as he scrambled to get out from under Elizabeth and nearly fell off of the roof in the process.

* * *

Kagura sighed heavily as she put the strawberry milk carton back in the refrigerator, Gintoki was late coming home and she was fed up with waiting for his lazy ass. "Fine, if he doesn't want any dinner, then I'll eat it myself," she declared, and she walked over to the table prepared to devour the meal she had prepared when she heard a loud commotion outside. Quickly she put down the bowl of meat and ran outside, wondering what was going on and why they decided to interrupt her dinner.

From her position on the balcony she saw Katsura, Elizabeth, Hasegawa, Kyuubei, Sarutobi, Kondo, Hijikata, Sogo, and Gintoki trampling over each other down the street apparently in some great struggle to get something she could not see. The chase was leading them straight for Otose's snack house, and would probably wreck into it; so Kagura leapt from the balcony and landed on something hard. For a moment she thought she had landed on Gintoki's fingers, seeing as how they were just a hair away from the toe of her boot, but the object under her foot felt circular. Carefully she lifted her foot, not exactly sure what she should be expecting, and saw a ring pressed hard in the dirt.

"Kagura!" exclaimed Gintoki as he climbed up from the ground just as she went down to pick up the ring. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and tried to come up with some possible explanation without giving away his plan, but it was too late for that now.

Kagura came back up with the ring resting in the palm of her hand, a curious look on her face when she saw Gintoki's guilty and nervous expression. "Gintoki, what's this?" She looked from the ring to him and then back.

Gintoki was nervous, unsure of what to say which was very out of character for him. "Well, uh, you see, Kagura . . . it's, umm," he was stammering now, a sign of a guilty conscience. _'Stop stammering you idiot and tell her!'_ his mind screamed at him and he knew what had to be done. He took the ring from her hand, which happened to be the left one, and slipped the ring on her finger all while hoping that the words would somehow magically form once he did.

"Gin, are you . . .?" started Kagura though she was not completely sure she should finish that sentence. Instead she looked up at him in utter disbelief only to find him looking at her with the most tender expression she had ever seen on his face, and she knew he was serious.

"Now that we know it can take the strength of a Yato," he said with a nervous laugh. "Kagura, will you accept this ring and agree to be my wife?"

Kagura glanced around at all of the people watching them, people she knew cared about her and Gintoki, and whom had been by their side through many great trials. None of them compared to Gintoki, and she was sure they never would, for he was her samurai and the only man she could ever love. With a smile, she gave him her answer. "Yes, Gintoki!" she practically shouted and everyone cheered as Gintoki took her in his arms and spun her around before kissing her passionately on the lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Not Everyone Will Believe That a Lazy Samurai Can Change His Ways**

Carefully Kagura pulled out her purchase from the other day, making sure not to make too much noise that would alert Gintoki to what she was doing, when the garment was fully out of the bag she smiled as she admired it. With some assistance from Hinowa, she had scoured the vendors of Yoshiwara looking for something that would assist her in her plan, and found exactly what she was looking for. The garment was a lovely piece of lingerie; it was shamrock green silk across the bust and black sheer material below that would probably only go down to the tops of her thighs. There were two thin black straps that supposedly would hold everything up on her but she was a little skeptical, and she was equally as unsure about the matching thong that came with the outfit, neither aspect seemed all that sturdy. With a sigh she changed out of her usual attire and slipped the thong on first and was surprised to find that it did not break once it wrapped around her. Next she put on the nightie and was again pleased to discover that it would not snap off immediately.

Kagura took a moment to admire herself in the bathroom mirror, she hardly looked like a young child anymore and she hoped Gintoki would agree, if not then her plan could not commence. She still wanted to have a baby with him, one that would be the perfect blend of them both, and now that they were engaged she saw nothing wrong with hurrying to the next milestone. Spinning around a little she yet again imagined what she would look like pregnant, remembering vaguely what other Yato women looked like, and decided that she would probably look a lot better than Tae.

"Kagura!" called Gintoki from the other room. "Are you coming to bed or not? It's freezing in here."

"Just a second!" she shouted back as she hurriedly put the bag in the trash and put on the engagement ring Gintoki had given her a little over a week ago. It thrilled her to see it sitting on her finger, knowing that the person who gave it to her was the one she loved above all others in this world. Checking one last time in the mirror that she looked sexy, she turned off the lights and opened the door, not wanting him to see her just yet as she walked into the bedroom.

"Took you long enough," grumbled Gintoki as he sat up, watching for her to appear from the shadows. "I was about to—Ka-Ka-Kagura?!"

The young Yato stopped when she heard him say her name, wondering if her appearance was now too risqué for his liking. On the contrary, Gintoki was incredibly pleased but just taken aback that she had dressed like this, he had never seen her wear something so very sexy in the entire time they had been together. The skimpy outfit showed off her beautiful, womanly body perfectly; the low cut top was filled to the brim with her breasts and was spilling over at the top, through the sheer material he could see her curves highlighted by the moonlight, and the shortness of the nightie made her legs seem impossibly long. If anything was upsetting him, it was that she had not worn something like this sooner.

"Do you not like it?" she asked nervously, taking his silence to mean that he hated her outfit.

Gintoki was broken from his trance at her words and immediately shook his head. "No, no, no," he said quickly as he stood up and walked over to her. "I love it." It took all of his restraint not to rip the garment to pieces and take her right then and there. "You look beautiful, Kagura," he whispered reverently as he drank in her appearance. _'And to think I get to sleep beside this woman every night for the rest of my life!'_ he thought excitedly as he reached out and tugged on one of the straps.

Kagura giggled and playfully swatted his hand away. "They're stronger than they look, I know," she said with a smile and she reached out to touch his face, letting her fingertips brush gently across his skin as she traced his jawline. She had no idea what she had done to deserve a man like Gintoki, but she was glad she had done it, no matter the consequences.

"What made you want to dress like this?" asked Gintoki as he pulled at another part of the outfit, determined to find its weakest point. When Kagura did not answer right away, he looked up and saw her biting her lower lip and looking away from him, almost like she was embarrassed to tell him the reason.

"I . . . can't tell you," she mumbled and he frowned, she was up to something.

Gintoki was suspicious now, Kagura never hid anything from him unless she was up to something devious, and given her attire it was very unlikely she was up to anything that might get him killed. Although, she could just be using her outfit to seduce him before strangling him. "Kagura, you know you can tell me anything," he said cautiously, unsure of whether she was actually plotting to kill him or not. "Now, tell me why you bought this outfit."

Kagura remained silent for a few moments before she finally screwed up the courage and just blurted out, "I want to make a baby with you!"

The next thing Gintoki knew, he was looking up at Kagura who had a very worried look on her face as she gently slapped his cheek, or as gently as a Yato could. "Stop slapping me, I'm awake!" he shouted and she immediately stopped though she did not let go of him. "Why am I on the floor?"

"Don't you remember?" asked Kagura as she brushed some hair out of his face. "You fainted after I said I wanted to make a baby with you."

He felt faint again but he managed to stay conscious this time, of all the reasons Kagura could have had for trying to look sexy, she had to say one of the few that he did not want to hear just yet or ever, if he was being honest. He knew he was not father material, sure he had babysat a baby everyone thought was his, but that was different; he knew he would be returning it to its rightful family. If he and Kagura had one of their own, there was no way he could return it to be someone else's problem. Then again, had he not envisioned having a family with Kagura a week ago? What was stopping him now? Maybe the fact they were not married yet and they had just gotten engaged a week ago.

"Kagura, I think we need to talk about this," he said gently as he sat up and looked at her, he could already tell she was getting ready to defend her position by the frown on her face, but he hardly wanted this to be a confrontation. "You know I love you, right?" She nodded. "And you know I'd do almost anything to make you happy, yes?" Again she nodded. "And I know you'd do the same for me, so listen carefully when I say that having a baby right now would be a very, very, bad idea."

Kagura turned a bright shade of red and was about to yell at him when he clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Calm down," he said sternly. "And listen, we just got engaged and we have a wedding to plan, throwing a baby into the mix just wouldn't work out well for anyone and we'd be being incredibly unfair to it because we couldn't give it all the attention it would need. I'm not saying I don't want a child with you, just not right now."

Kagura calmed considerably and Gintoki removed his hand from her mouth, now trusting that she would not yell at him. "So you do want to have a baby with me?" she asked hopefully and he rolled his eyes.

"Is that all you got out of what I just said?" asked Gintoki slightly irritated before Kagura threw herself on his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"No, I understand," she said shyly. "I don't know, I guess it was a stupid idea, after all we aren't even married yet . . . and, I don't know . . . I suppose I just wanted to get to the next step sooner rather than later. I'm sorry, Gin."

Gintoki sighed heavily before wrapping his arms around Kagura's barely covered torso, a playful smile on his lips as he buried his face against her neck. "What am I going to do with you, Kagura?"

Kagura smiled mischievously, her fingers dancing lightly on his neck. "You could make love to me, if you wanted."

"Oh, I want to," replied Gintoki and he bit her neck, eliciting a small gasp from the Yato that was quickly followed by a moan. He was rewarded for his actions by her fingers digging into the base of his neck and he growled; it was going to be one of those nights.

He raised his head from the crook of her neck then claimed her lips in a burning kiss that shot fire through his body, her hands dancing across his clothed shoulders did little to quell the raging inferno instead she fed it. Gintoki felt her tugging at his nightshirt as he pulled on her nightie, both fighting to have the other free of the offending garment though in their lust addled haze they were careful not to rip anything. They would have to wear these again at some point.

Kagura assisted Gintoki in taking off her lingerie after she had forcibly removed his shirt from his muscled torso; she stole a moment to admire what contours she could see from her position and felt a rush of heat spread throughout her body. She loved seeing his body bare of any clothes, it revealed more about his warrior status than any battle ever could. His impressive physique notwithstanding, Gintoki had several scars decorating his flesh, each a testament to some battle or mission he had endured at some point. A few of them she recognized from when they had fought various villains together, some he had proudly shown off to anyone who would care to listen, but there were many he refused to talk about. One in particular was a very deep scar running down his back and when she had asked him how he got it, a dark shadow had crossed his eyes and he said nothing. She knew then that there would be some things about Gintoki even she would not be privileged enough to know. All she could do was chase away the demons that still haunted him.

Gintoki finally managed to pull off the nightie and was greeted by Kagura's milky skin and glorious breasts. He stared greedily at them before cupping one in his hand and squeezing roughly, he smiled wickedly when he heard Kagura moan before leaning down and taking the pink nipple in his mouth. His tongue swirled around the sensitive skin as he worked it to a peak before switching to lavish the other one with his talented tongue, very aware of Kagura's nails digging into his back, likely adding to the collection of marks she had started. He moaned when she started to drag her fingers across, causing him to release her nipple, they looked up at each other their eyes darkened with lust. They knew what they wanted, how they wanted it; it was just a matter of getting there.

Kagura pulled herself away from Gintoki and stood up, her naked body brazenly on display for him as he stood up as well, though he was struggling to remove his pants and boxers fast enough. His erection was impeding the progress, catching the waistbands of both as he went to remove them, but eventually they too were on the ground with the rest of their clothes. For a moment they stared at each other, drinking in each other's naked forms for the countless time, then they made a move simultaneously; Gintoki stepped forward just as Kagura did, their lips collided together in a mess of arms. They were searching, reaching, pulling each other closer as their hands and lips moved across flesh. Time did not exist in their thick haze of lust, only the feel of skin, the smell of sweat and adrenaline, the sounds of passion.

Gintoki managed to form enough of a thought to bend down suitably to get Kagura's legs hooked around his waist, then with her wrapped around him like a vine he pressed her back against the nearest wall. With Kagura secured, Gintoki moved his hand to his manhood and rubbed it against her dripping core, the heat almost suffocating as he slid it in up to the hilt. This was not the first time they had decided to forgo the futon in favor of a more solid surface, though even when they were on the futon, they moved around too much to stay there.

He began moving, his hands under her thighs as he guided his cock in and out of her, Kagura's moans echoed in his ears as he tried not to lose himself in the act too quickly; usually he tried to get her closer to climax before he let loose, knowing when he did he would not pay any attention to her needs above his own. Besides he enjoyed letting go when she was at the peak of her passion, that was really when she did not mind him digging his fingers or clamping down with his teeth into her tender skin. When it first happened he had been terrified that he had hurt her against her wishes, but then she surprised him by telling him that his teeth and nails felt better than she thought. Who knew she liked sex as rough as he did?

"G-Gintoki," she moaned loudly, and even above his own groans he heard her clear as day. She was getting close, he could tell, so he pulled away and looked at her, burning the image into his memory; her white skin was flushed, breasts bouncing with each of his thrusts, sweat glistened on her face and skin as she contorted her beautiful face into a look of intense pleasure. Her eyes were snapped shut but he hardly cared, he knew what they looked like and that was enough for him. He held on tighter to her thighs and started slamming into her, his head now against the crook of her neck as he tried to maintain his balance while thrusting, which was not as easy as he once thought. Kagura's moans intensified as did his own, the sounds mingling together into a familiar song, and then Kagura cried out as she clamped down on Gintoki, wrapping him in fire and pleasure. That was enough to push him over, with a few more frenzied thrusts, he spilled himself inside of her. Gintoki froze for a moment, he had not intended to do that, he had planned on pulling out at the last second and releasing on his clothes like he normally did. For some reason he had not and instead spilled in Kagura, and strangely enough he did not regret it, he was just surprised.

"Gin," said Kagura breathlessly, her voice bringing him back to the moment. "Gin, that was incredible."

"Isn't it always?" asked Gintoki with a wicked smile.

Kagura nodded, shaking some of her sweat-drenched hair free. "Of course. So are you ready for round two yet?"

Gintoki practically growled his response but managed to turn it into words. "You're insatiable, Kagura."

"You love it," replied Kagura with a smirk before biting his pulse point, making his cock twitch inside her. She was right he did love it.

* * *

The next morning found Gintoki and Kagura laying haphazardly on their futon, their bodies barely covered by the blanket Gintoki had thrown over them the night before after what must have been hours after their first round. Gintoki was the first of the pair to wake, blinking his eyes rapidly as he adjusted to the change in light. He sighed contentedly as he looked out of the window, the angle allowing him an unobstructed view of the bright blue sky just outside his home. Beside him he heard Kagura stirring though he could tell she was not entirely awake yet, just in the beginning stages, as much as he wanted to wake her he had learned the hard way that doing such a thing was often a bad idea. He had the scar to prove it too.

Turning over he did allow himself to partake in the view of Kagura's nakedness, knowing she would not care to see him staring at her when she did wake up. His favorite light on her was still moonlight but sunlight was not bad either, it allowed him to see some things the night hid, for instance that like him her skin was adorned with scars. Gintoki was sure no one else but he knew they were there, as most of them were on her torso and legs, two places only he was privileged enough to see. According to Kagura, despite her impressive healing abilities, there were some times when an injury was too much that it did scar. Some scars he knew without asking how they came to be on her body like the one on her abdomen as from when she had been shot at close range by Takasugi's maniac girlfriend. There was another she had sustained from fighting her brother Kamui's Yato friend while in Yoshiwara, but it was small and grazed her upper thigh. Numerous others could be found if he looked hard enough, but he did not care to, it pained him too much.

Some of the scars had been the result of her own carelessness, but a majority was because she had defended him or was thrown into a situation by him. Every scar that was there because of him he could not look at without his heart hurting a little, guilt having permanently lodged itself there with each mark. He knew he could never take them back and that she did not regret them, but he swore long ago he would not cause another scar to etch itself into her skin, and so far he had been successful. The only injuries that were his fault now were the love bites and bruises that dotted across her body. Under his gaze, she began to wake up fully; her blue eyes found his Bordeaux and he smiled.

"Good morning, sunshine," he said before brushing some hair out of her face.

Kagura smiled back, leaning into his touch. "Good morning to you too," she said, her voice a cross between sleep and awake. "Do we have anything to do today?"

"Well," started Gintoki when there was a loud pounding on the door. He frowned as he quickly reached for his strawberry patterned boxers and green pajama bottoms, he already had an idea of who it was at his door, and while he intended to take care of this he had thought of doing it later.

"I know you're in there, lazy ass!" shouted Otose as she pounded on the door. "I was nice to you last month, but I want my rent! You promised, you good-for-nothing lay-about!"

Gintoki made a small gesture to Kagura to stay put while he put on his clothes and then went over to his pants from the day before, extracting his wallet and pulling out a majority of the money. He winked at Kagura before heading out of the room.

"Keep your shirt on, granny!" he called back in response to Otose's knocking. "God knows the neighborhood doesn't deserve to go blind from that sight!" He opened the door and found Otose standing on his doorstep, her trusty cigarette dangling from her two fingers and a scowl on her face as she eyed him suspiciously. He held up the wad of money, which made her brown eyes widen. "Here, this month's rent plus a little extra."

Otose took the money from him and started counting it, only to find that he was telling the truth. "What's this about?" she asked him as she tucked the money into her black kimono. "And why did you include extra money?"

"I want to buy this place from you," he stated rather bluntly. "Kagura and I are getting married, and we need a house. We know this area and like being where we are, so I thought it best to buy this place, the money from the purchase would be more dependable than counting on rent from me. Are we in agreement?"

"Who are you and what the hell have you done with Gintoki?!" demanded Otose and she started pulling on his hair. "Are you that Kintoki again? He's the only one of you two who paid rent and was even remotely responsible!"

Gintoki tried to pull his hair away from Otose's claws. "Ow! Quit it, you old hag! My hair's bad enough without you pulling on it!" When Otose released him he looked back at her. "If I'm to be Kagura's husband, I need to start acting a little responsible, otherwise my family will be out on the streets. So do we have a deal or not?"

Otose looked at him like he was a stranger to her, but at the same time there was pride shining in her eyes, she could tell he was serious about being more responsible. "We have a deal, so long as you use the money you just gave me as the first installment towards buying Yorozuya, and you get Kagura to agree to work in my snack shop."

"Why should she work for you?" he asked suspiciously. "She'll be too busy cooking and cleaning to have a career."

"Other than to have a stable source of income?" she asked with a sigh and he nodded. "Well, it would be a way to see you both, plus it would be incredibly irresponsible of me to let that girl go on in life depending on you to support her. You might say you're changing, but it still wouldn't hurt for Kagura to have a job just in case you fall through."

"Your confidence in me is overwhelming," muttered Gintoki, which earned him a slap on the head from Otose.

"I'll believe it when I see it, lazy ass," she snapped before taking a drag from her cigarette. "Now do we have a deal or should I up the price of rent?"

"We have a deal," said Gintoki, extending out his hand which Otose shook. "So how long do you think it'll be before I can call this dump my home?"

Otose looked around at the small building and shrugged. "Once I get it appraised, I'll let you know. In the meantime though, keep making payments; you'll probably have it in your name in no time. Then this dump will be your headache."

Gintoki grinned before he pulled Otose into a quick hug. "Thanks, granny, this means a lot to me. I'll tell Kagura today to talk to you about working in the snack house, then we can plan a party."

"What kind of a party?" asked Otose curiously as Gintoki released her.

"One where I can drink for free and Kagura can have people stand around her and admire the engagement ring I gave her," said Gintoki simply. "She deserves a lot and I plan to give her as much as I can, so start inviting everyone we know to your snack shop for a party in a couple of days."

"I'll see what I can do, but you'd better help pay for the alcohol!" she said sternly though she could not prevent the small smile that crossed her lips, then she turned away, still slightly in awe of the way Gintoki was now behaving. She wondered how long he would be able to keep it up before slipping back into his old ways.

Gintoki closed the door and sighed heavily, then turned around only to see Kagura standing in front of him with nothing but his night shirt on. "Geez, Kagura!" he said somewhat fearfully. "Don't sneak up on a man like that!"

"Did you mean what you said?" she asked, her head tilted a little as she looked at him.

"Mean what?" he asked as he rubbed where Otose had dug her nails into his head while walking towards the kitchen, deciding now would be a good time to find something for breakfast.

"Mean that you're going to act more responsible," she said as she pushed herself up onto the counter, sitting with her ankles crossed as Gintoki stuck his head in the fridge.

Gintoki took a moment before answering. "Yeah, I mean it. Why? Do you think I'll fail at it like the old hag does?" He found the carton of strawberry milk he was looking for; he grabbed it then pulled his head out of the fridge.

Kagura shook her head. "No, it's just surprising to hear you say something like that, Gin. You haven't been in the past, so I don't understand how just getting married to me would change that in you."

"Well," said Gintoki slowly, considering his response carefully. "You see, Kagura, when a man and woman agree to get hitched certain things change in both of them. The woman gets pickier about cleanliness and cooking, then lets herself go after having children because she knows her husband can't afford to leave her no matter how ugly she gets. That last part probably won't happen to you, but the other two might. For men, they finally decide to grow up; no more gambling, no more late drunk nights, and no more casual flings with girls he doesn't know." Kagura gave him an ugly look but he waved it off. "I didn't say I did that last one, I was just using it as an example of growing up. Anyway, men change more than women, they realize that they need to provide a house and find an income to take care of their new family. That's what's happening to me, I'm trying to get us a decent house to live in that's our own and then I'll be looking for a more stable job. I might end up doing more odd jobs than before, just because that's all I'm qualified for, but I'll take them more seriously."

Kagura nodded and remained silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Gintoki, would you rather not marry me so you wouldn't change?"

Gintoki sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "You idiot, I never said that. I don't mind the changes, sure it's scary but I've dealt with scarier things than this. Besides, I don't want you to end up married to someone else because I'm the one you're meant to be with, and if being with you means changing then I'll live with that."

"You're such a romantic, Gin," teased Kagura, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Only for you," he said, walking over to her and kissing her softly. "Did you hear the part about you having a job at the snack shop?"

Kagura nodded as she pushed some hair out of her face. "I did, and I don't disagree with it but what do you think?"

Gintoki shrugged as he reached behind her for a glass. "More money doesn't hurt, and it's not too bad of a position. You can do it as often as you want, so long as you don't start turning into the old lady or Catherine."

"That won't ever happen," vowed Kagura. "I want to be your wife for a long time, and I know if I start acting like either of them you'll leave me for a younger woman."

Gintoki let out a loud laugh as he poured himself a glass of strawberry milk. "Kagura, I could never leave you for a younger woman, you're young enough for me."

"Dirty old man," retorted Kagura then she swiped the glass from him and drank its contents in a few gulps before handing him the glass as she jumped down and started walking away. "I'm going to take Sadaharu out for a walk, see you later."

He looked down at the empty glass and scowled, that had been the last of the milk. _'Guess I should go buy some more after work today,'_ he thought with a small groan.

* * *

Kagura sighed happily as she rode atop her beloved Sadaharu, her purple parasol expanded above her head to hide her sensitive skin from the light of the Sun. During her walk with Sadaharu, no less than fifteen people stopped her to congratulate her on her engagement to Gintoki, many of them saying they thought it was about time before offering a small contribution to the wedding. She was happy to know so many people cared when before she would have been suspicious of their intentions; her naivety had been taken advantage of before and after that she had been more than a little hostile towards people, even if she did not outwardly demonstrate it. To realize now that there were genuine and honest people living on Earth made her glad she had not left with her father all those years ago.

They were nearing home when Kagura saw a familiar shape standing on the balcony above Otose's shop, just outside the door to the Yorozuya. Even from her distance she could see the gleam from a pair of goggles and an umbrella at the person's side.

"Papi!" she exclaimed and urged Sadaharu to go faster, a smile stretching across her face as she drew nearer to her father. When they were near enough to the stairs, Kagura jumped down from Sadaharu's back and practically flew up the stairs, desperately wanting to see her father and hoping it was not Kamui in disguise. She saw the older Yato standing where she had seen him and without a doubt knew it was her father. "Papi!" she called again and this time her father turned around.

"Kagura!" cried Umibouzu and he opened his arms wide, his daughter running into his embrace without hesitation. He held her close to his chest and kissed the top of her head, it had been too long since they had last seen each other, the last time being when he and Gintoki had to save her from some alien bent on world destruction. She had barely been fourteen then and here she was, nearly nineteen and a beautiful young woman.

"I'm so happy to see you, Papi," she said against his shoulder. "I was starting to think you were never coming back."

Umibouzu chuckled warmly as he released her from his embrace. "What? Never see my beloved daughter again? The galaxy would have to be destroyed first before that ever happened."

Kagura smiled brightly. "I have something to tell you! Something really wonderful has happened!"

"You're getting married to a prince?" asked Umibouzu suspiciously, his grip on his umbrella tightening just a little.

"Something like that," she said with a laugh, not seeing his reaction. "Gintoki and I are getting married!"

If Umibouzu had not been holding onto his umbrella, he probably would have fallen over dead then and there. There was no way in hell that his baby girl, his only daughter, the apple of his eye was getting married to that good for nothing samurai, that man was hardly deserving of such a prize as Kagura. Well, if he wanted to marry his daughter, he would have to be subjected to the Yato tradition as the only way to prove he was worthy.

"Papi?" asked Kagura cautiously, she was wondering why her father had gone silent and still after she told him about her engagement.

Umibouzu said nothing in response, instead he turned around and leapt from the balcony, landing on the ground with a swirling dust cloud around him. He took off in a random direction but Kagura did not need a map to know that Gintoki's location would also be her father's, for a moment she kicked herself for just blurting out the news to her father though that could not be helped now. She then jumped off the balcony and started chasing after her father, rolling her eyes at how idiotic her family could be sometimes.

"Papi, you can't kill him! I love him!" she shouted as she jumped over a building, hoping she would reach Gintoki before her father.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Girl's Father is More Dangerous Than Any Trained Fighter**

Gintoki strolled out of the grocery store, a bag full of strawberry milk cartons on his arm as he counted his change, wondering if he had enough to play a quick game of pachinko before he was expected at his next job. That morning he had assisted a photographer who was taking pictures of the wildlife in the nearby forest, he had mostly just carried the fragile and expensive equipment but had received extra pay for providing action shots of some of the more dangerous animals. Honestly who knew that a bear could get so upset by having its nose poked with a sharp stick? It was not his fault, he was just wondering if it was hibernating or not.

He rounded the corner and saw the pachinko parlor just across the street; there were already several people inside playing, including Hasegawa and a few others that he knew from previous times spent at the pachinko parlor. Through the large windows he could see them laughing and hugging each other as they played the game they all loved so much, some of them were drinking sake as they toasted their successful round. He looked down at the money in his hand, there was just enough for a few rounds if he started now; then when he was out of money he could hurry on to his next job, which was scrubbing down some horses at a local ranch. Quickly he crossed the street and entered the parlor, the loud noises of the machines greeting his ears as he hurried to an empty machine, not even stopping to address the people shouting their greetings at him as he ran.

Finally he was at a machine, one that felt incredibly lucky to him as he carefully placed his strawberry milk on the ground beside him then fished out his wallet to store his play money before selecting a beautiful 100-yen piece. Kissing it he gently slid it into the money slot and felt a rush of excitement when the machine reacted, the musical sound of the starting music reaching his ears, sending him into a state of blissful relaxation. This was not a time to be completely relaxed, however, as it was now a time for strategy and precision. Looking down at the wheel to his right he poised his fingers over the wheel as he watched the slot fill up with those beautiful silver balls, he knew that one miscalculation could spell disaster so he waited until everything was in place before he made his move. His fingers still had yet to make contact with the wheel directly, all part of his plan as he flexed his fingers and practiced a few controlled spinning movements with his wrists. If he was going to win, he was going to have to figure out this machine's sweet spot, and he wanted his first spin to count rather than just be blind guess work.

Taking a deep breath he finally put his hand on the wheel, the idea to just spin it wildly creeping into his mind as he stared at his immobile hand, but he quickly banished the idea with a very controlled flick of his wrist. The move sent the balls spiraling up out of the shoot and towards the little hole that would either ensure victory or defeat. He watched with rapt attention as the balls went between the many pins that stood between them and the goal, that small hole at the bottom that was miraculously opened wide to allow more than just one ball in at a time. Amazingly enough most of the balls headed towards the hole, the sweet sound of those metal spheres bouncing into the winning slot were like music to his ears and he began counting how many were going in. When the last ball fell in, he quickly calculated the exchange rate and a huge grin broke out on his face, he was going to have enough to break even and make a double payment on the house!

"Congratulations, Gintoki!" shouted Hasegawa, coming up behind him then clapping him on the back. "I guess there's still some of the real you left after all, you haven't been totally sucked into the world of financial security."

"Nope!" exclaimed Gintoki as the virtual slot machine showed up across the pachinko screen, without hesitation he spun the wheel and his breath caught in his throat as he saw two of the same number appear on the screen almost instantly. He watched as the cartoon good guy and bad guy came on to duke it out over which number would complete the trio, either the same number or a different number. He was not too concerned, he knew he had several spins left after this first one, but he could hardly believe his luck at getting to this point so early in the day. The two cartoon samurai on screen fought each other and he saw something odd, the virtual woman in the corner of the screen had suddenly turned into a golden statue; he, as a seasoned pachinko player, knew immediately what that meant and was excited. He was going to have a huge payout!

Everyone in the parlor had gathered around Gintoki's machine, waiting for the bad samurai to fall to the good samurai, they were ready to celebrate his good fortune with freshly warmed sake. Just as the bad samurai fell to the ground, there was an ominous cracking sound just moments before the roof collapsed on top of their heads. Gintoki and the others had managed to get to some area of safety before pieces of the roof buried their torsos, which immobilized them, though that was hardly any consolation once Gintoki saw who had caused the collapse in the first place. Once the dust cleared, a very prominent and angry figure was standing on the crushed remains of not only the pachinko machine Gintoki had been playing at but also his highly prized strawberry milk. Looking up he saw the fiery eyes of Umibouzu boring into his skull, his olive green umbrella pointed squarely at Gintoki's face before Umibouzu raised it high above his head and brought it screaming down towards Gintoki's head. There was no skull shattering sound as he expected, when he looked down he saw that Gintoki was keeping his umbrella at bay with his _bokuto_ , although from his position he was struggling.

"What the hell do you want, _Hage_?" asked Gintoki through grit teeth. "You've already destroyed my chance at winning pachinko, you smashed my strawberry milk, what else is there to take from me?"

"I came to get my daughter's honor back!" shouted Umibouzu as he raised his umbrella again, only this time Gintoki was ready and he jumped out from underneath the pile of debris, out of striking range.

From his new position a few feet away, Gintoki glared at Umibouzu, he had a feeling that Kagura had let slip the fact they were engaged to her father and he was here to kill him for seducing his daughter. _'If only he knew the truth,'_ mused Gintoki as he jumped straight in the air in order to avoid another attack. Somehow he managed to jump right over his opponent and went running out of the door to the pachinko parlor, hoping to draw Umibouzu away from innocent civilians while they settled their issues. He continued to run as fast and as far as he could, knowing all the while that his soon to be father-in-law was chasing after him and was going to catch up to him sooner or later.

Spotting an alleyway, he ducked around the corner to catch his breath, kicking himself for not realizing that this would happen. Almost two weeks ago he had received the letter from Umibouzu saying that he would be coming to Earth to visit his daughter, the impending visit was partially what spurred Gintoki to proposing to Kagura sooner, so he could get her father's blessing and invite him to the wedding. He had also intended for the visit to be a surprise for Kagura, hence why he had not told her to expect her father. In hindsight he probably should have told her so she could warn him about what to expect when they told him about their engagement, then she might have been of some help in this situation.

"Gintoki!" shouted a familiar voice and he turned to see Kagura sprinting up to him, her umbrella clutched securely in her hand. "Gintoki, my father—"

"Is after me, I know," finished Gintoki. "He ambushed me at the pachinko parlor, just when I was about to win a huge jackpot! He also destroyed my strawberry milk."

Kagura's face twisted in slight rage. "What were you doing at the pachinko parlor?! I thought you had given up gambling and drinking!"

"You can't expect me to give it all up without falling off the wagon!" shouted Gintoki. "Even this author can't make that idea believable."

"Whatever," huffed Kagura. "We can discuss this later, right now we have to deal with Papi. He's making you prove yourself, showing him that you're worthy of marrying me."

Gintoki rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious? Surely the way I've taken care of you is proof enough: I feed you, I clothe you, I love you, I feed you, I protect you, I feed you. Why isn't that enough for him?"

"It's some stupid Yato thing, okay?" sighed Kagura as she leaned against the wall. "Normally, a suitor and a girl's father will fight each other until one of them is dead: if the father wins, his daughter marries someone of his choice, if the suitor wins then she marries him. The tradition has now evolved to a brutal battle that results in injury rather than death when it became evident that too many young men were dying. I didn't think my father would insist on it, after all he does like you, but I guess hearing I was engaged to you was too much for his rational brain to handle."

"And how exactly did you tell _Hage_ that you and I were engaged?" asked Gintoki as he chanced a glance around the corner of the alleyway.

Kagura shrugged. "I just blurted it out, I guess. I was too excited to think of a better way."

"We have got to work on that," groaned Gintoki as he readied his _bokuto_.

Kagura was about to argue with him when she saw a shadow descending on them, knowing exactly who it was she pushed Gintoki out of the way and onto the sidewalk outside just as her father landed on the ground, creating a large hole. Gintoki got up immediately and took a defensive stance moments before Umibouzu turned around, swiping his large umbrella at Gintoki's head only to have him yet again stop the weapon's progress with his _bokuto_. They locked eyes for a second before they began clashing their respective weapons against each other like actual swords, blocking and slicing as they steadily made their way onto the street. Umibouzu could not help but feel a little bit of pride as he watched Gintoki block his attacks, he had always known this punk samurai could fight, even better than most Yato could but he was not about to give in just because he was glad he was marrying Kagura. There was a tradition to uphold and he was not about to be the reason it faltered.

"Kagura, I will win your honor back for you!" called Umibouzu as he jumped sideways to avoid Gintoki's attack. "Then you can go home with me and I will pick you out a proper man to marry."

Gintoki grit his teeth, he knew Umibouzu was egging him on, hoping he would slip up and make a fatal mistake. "No Yato man could compare to me!" shouted Gintoki as he jumped on Umibouzu's umbrella as it came crashing into the dirt, using the opportunity to repeatedly hit him in the face. "And there is no woman for me except Kagura!" He leapt from atop Umibouzu's face to a spot between himself and Kagura, his hands still gripping tightly to his _bokuto_. There was no way he was going to lose to this bald man.

Umibouzu evaluated the damage done to his face by Gintoki, it was strong enough to hurt but not powerful enough to break anything or kill him, that punk was calling his bluff. He was daring Umibouzu to try and injure him when he had not done so despite the very obvious opportunity. He could respect that, while they might have their differences he still does not see him as an enemy even if he is threatening to take Kagura away, if anything he is hoping to settle this matter without a single drop of blood. _'Very well, Gintoki, I'll play your game,'_ thought Umibouzu as he charged Gintoki's position, determined to get him to yield.

"Give it up, _Hage_ ," said Gintoki in a strained voice, he was having some difficulty in maintaining both his grip and his position as Umibouzu continued to try and push him out of the way. "So long as Kagura wants to be with me, I won't go anywhere."

"Typical sentiments from a man using a naïve girl," snapped Umibouzu, trying a new tactic as he raised his umbrella in order to strike Gintoki from the side but again he was stopped. "You aren't worthy of even having her look at you!"

"I know that," spat Gintoki as he used their joined weapons as a source of inertia to throw Umibouzu off his feet, nearly succeeding in his endeavor though he only moved him back a few feet. "I know I'm a lazy, gambling, perm-headed lay about. Believe it or not, I know my faults better than anyone else, and being around Kagura just makes me notice them even more! If you took her away, I'm sure I would go back to ignoring my bad habits."

Umibouzu was stunned by this statement, this was completely contrary to what he had expected Gintoki to say, now he was not so sure about blessing their impending marriage.

"But," continued Gintoki, still keeping the umbrella at bay, "I don't want to ignore them anymore. Kagura's forced me to look at myself and grow up a little so I can take care of her properly, and myself as well. I don't want to be as old as you and still done nothing with my life except fought in a war no one remembers; I want to be surrounded by children, all of who hopefully have my wife's straight hair. I want a nice house full of things I own, not just taken off the streets because I don't have anything. I want to wake up everyday next to the woman I love looking at me, the same woman I want to have pour me my _sake_ after a long day.

"That woman is Kagura. She makes me want a better life, one where we can both be happy and together. I've tried several times to picture myself with another woman, someone the world would expect me to be with, but none of them fit into my dreams as well as Kagura; and I've tried to see her with a different man and I get incredibly angry. I don't want anyone else but her and gods willing, she might feel the same about me."

"I do feel the same way, Gintoki!" shouted Kagura as she rushed up to his side only to be stopped by Umibouzu's glare. "I don't want to be married to any other man! I don't care if Papi disapproves, there's no other man for me but you."

Umibouzu looked up at his daughter, seeing the same look of love in her eyes that her mother held in hers so long ago for an idiot warrior just trying to make his way in the world; he knew their life together would hardly be simple but he could not deny that both seemed pretty damned determined to make it work.

Gintoki saw the way he was distracted and used that moment to bring up his boot and kick Umibouzu squarely in the abdomen, sending the monster hunter sailing back into a wall. He then looked over at Kagura and silently indicated to her to follow him, together they ran up to where Umibouzu had been thrown, as they approached they were both surprised to hear him laughing. Gintoki looked to Kagura who merely shrugged as they looked down at her father, watching him laugh.

"By the Buddha, I'm impressed," wheezed Umibouzu as he stood up though not as quickly as he normally would. "You defeated me in combat, Punk, something I wasn't sure you could do; in doing so, you've earned my blessing. I will happily allow Kagura to marry you."

"Not that you had a choice," muttered Kagura though she was relieved nevertheless.

Umibouzu nodded. "I know you would have married him with or without my consent, but it's best that this happened this way. Most Yato would not even recognize a marriage without this trial by combat, so now you can get married and no one can object."

"I suppose that's good," said Gintoki warily. "Does Kagura have some Yato fiancé waiting for her back home that's going to come try to kill me now?"

"No," replied Umibouzu as he picked up his umbrella. "I was asking around but I couldn't find any takers, not that that surprised me any; one of the conditions I presented to potential husbands was that they would have to live on Earth and they weren't too happy about that idea. I'm glad that you wised up and decided to marry her, Punk." He then slung his umbrella over his shoulder and started walking towards a nearby restaurant. "Now, how about I treat my daughter and soon to be son-in-law to a nice lunch?"

Gintoki and Kagura looked at each other and shrugged, it was not like they had anything else to do that day, considering that Gintoki was now incredibly late for his odd job and Kagura did not have to start working until later that night. Quickly they ran after him.

* * *

They sat in silence as they ate their food. Gintoki had ordered three chocolate parfaits and his usual red beans on rice dish while Kagura and Umibouzu ordered several large dishes of varying food and were just about finished with all of them. They had tried conversation earlier in the meal but that had fallen flat considering Gintoki and Umibouzu had just finished fighting each other, even though it did not end in bloodshed.

"Have you two planned anything for your wedding yet?" asked Umibouzu between bites of noodles and squid.

Kagura looked to Gintoki who shrugged.

"We've got the engagement party mostly planned," replied Gintoki as he scooped a bite of chocolate covered banana on his spoon. "We're having it later this week at the snack shop, everyone we know is pretty much invited, I just have to help pay for the alcohol apparently."

Umibouzu nodded thoughtfully. "That's a start I suppose. Any thoughts for when you want to have the actual wedding?"

"How long are you staying, Papi?" asked Kagura as she sucked on a piece of sukombu.

"Just a few weeks," replied Umibouzu a little sadly. "I was hoping for a longer visit but unfortunately I have a few previous obligations that will need my attention shortly. I suppose that means I'll miss your wedding."

"Not unless we have the wedding before you leave," said Gintoki suddenly. "That way you don't' have to miss anything and Kagura gets to have you on probably the most important day of her life."

Kagura's smile was almost blinding it was so dazzling and Gintoki's heart soared at the sight, glad he could make her smile like that.

"That's awfully generous of you but I wouldn't want to ruin your plans," said Umibouzu cautiously though he was inwardly ecstatic at the idea of being there for Kagura's wedding.

Gintoki shook his head. "You just heard us say we haven't planned anything, so you won't be ruining anything. Stop being such a stubborn old man and just accept our generosity, after all we're going to be the one's offering you a place to live when you get older and can't get yourself to the toilet."

"And where do you plan on living?" asked Umibouzu suspiciously. "Surely you don't plan on staying in that terrible apartment above the snack shop? You already owe that woman a fortune in rent."

"Gintoki's working towards buying Yorozuya," said Kagura tentatively, wondering if she was saying the right thing. "And he got me a job at the snack shop as a hostess."

"I suppose that's a good start," said Umibouzu as he took a bite of noodles and squid. "But have you considered buying an actual home? That place is fine for two people and Sadaharu but what about when you have children? There won't be enough room down the road for a full house."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Gintoki with a small smile, putting his arm snugly around Kagura's shoulders. "Kagura's not expecting a baby yet, so we've got a while to plan on building our own house."

Umibouzu considered his argument. "It sounds like you've got a few plans in mind for what your married life is going to be like, or at least how you want it to go. When did you come up with all of these grand plans?"

Gintoki shrugged as best he could. "When Kagura and I first started our relationship, that was when I seriously considered some of these ideas, before that it was just a fantasy."

"I hope you know what you're getting into," said Umibouzu with a teasing tone. "Kagura's got a wild spirit like her mother, she won't be easily tamed."

Kagura stuck her tongue out as Gintoki laughed in agreement, which earned him a solid pinch on his thigh, the action resulting in the two bickering about it and a few other things that were brought up. Umibouzu just sat back and smiled as the scene unfolded in front of him, he was glad that his daughter had found someone who cared about her enough to better her life and to provide the things for her he himself had been unable to. For a moment he thought about her mother, the love of his life, and how she would have reacted to the news of her little girl getting married; if he was being honest she would have probably been the one to initiate the Yato tradition on Gintoki and would not have likely given in so easily. Thoughts of his late wife saddened Umibouzu greatly, but as he watched Kagura and Gintoki squabbling like he and Kouka used to, he found an odd sense of calm wash over him. _'Maybe he'll be the one to make up for my mistakes.'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Your Friends Are Never Quite the Same When They Come Home From Camp**

The mental institution was far more imposing than either Gintoki or Kagura had suspected it to be, and as they stood outside they both briefly considered running back to the safety of their home. The only flaw in that plan was they promised Tae they would take some sense into Shinpachi in order to get him to come home; Tae had requested he be discharged once he showed signs of improvement but Shinpachi had refused to come back. Neither of them wanted to upset Tae, especially now that she seemed even more volatile with her pregnancy.

"Remember, Kagura," said Gintoki as they carefully entered the hospital, Kagura clutching onto his hand for dear life, "don't speak to anyone who seems like they have some authority here. Two minutes talking with you and I'll be back here trying to bribe the doctors to release you, besides, how would it look to the neighbors that I'm marrying someone who spent some time in a nut house, eh?"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "They probably wouldn't bat an eye, perm-head. And what about you, huh? The way you talk and act it's a wonder you weren't locked away sooner."

Gintoki gently stroked her fingers. "Would you bust me out if I did get locked up here?"

"Of course," said Kagura sweetly. "They haven't come up with a means of stopping a pissed off Yato woman."

"I suppose I'll take some comfort in that," sighed Gintoki as they approached the front desk where an elderly woman was typing at a computer. "Excuse me, which way is Shinpachi Shimura's room?"

The old woman looked up and smiled politely. "Well, isn't that sweet? The only people whom have been to see him was that gorilla couple who brought him in."

"Gorilla couple?" asked Gintoki and Kagura in unison but then realized exactly whom she meant; it was all they could do not to fall down laughing.

"Yes," said the old woman. "The female said she was Mr. Shimura's sister but I could see no resemblance, still I let her see him, after all that sweet boy needed some company, he was so upset when that pop star announced she was pregnant by the Shogun's nephew. I felt so terrible for him."

"Oh yes, terrible," said Gintoki, a shit eating grin stretching across his lips though he was fighting against it.

"Poor boy," reiterated Kagura who was holding her sides against the laughter bubbling up, a task she was finding harder and harder to do. "So where is his room?"

"On the second floor, third on the left," said the womanly cheerily. "Please tell him that I'll have some fresh avocado rolls ready for his dinner."

Gintoki nodded, no longer trusting his voice, he reached over and grabbed Kagura's wrist, pulling her towards the nearest elevator before either of them could the situation worse for themselves or Shinpachi. Once they were safely in the confines of the elevator, they both burst out laughing, the sound echoing off the metal walls as they gripped the hand railing to keep on their feet. They could barely breathe by the time the doors opened again, somehow they managed to get out without stumbling though they still were laughing as they walked the few feet to Shinpachi's room. Kagura was the first to recover and she tapped Gintoki on the shoulder.

"We need . . . we need to sober up," she wheezed. "Shinpachi . . . Shinpachi won't like us laughing at Big Sis."

"Okay, okay," agreed Gintoki between giggles. "I'll stop, I promise."

They gave themselves a few more minutes to regain their composure before putting the calmest faces they could manage and entering Shinpachi's room. The room itself was not that interesting, three simple white walls with one wall made entirely of windows, a bathroom to the right and closet to the left, a few chairs and a table along with a wardrobe in the corner with a bed placed on the right wall. Looking around, they saw Shinpachi lying on his bed, looking right back at them.

"Hey Shinpachi," said Gintoki with a nervous sort of laugh. "It's great to see you."

"Yeah, it's so nice to see you," said Kagura, looking to Gintoki for guidance in this situation. "You haven't really changed much since we last saw you."

Together they walked over to the bed, sitting down in the chairs closest to him, unsure of how to proceed from here. Neither one of them heard the door to the bathroom open, too absorbed in silently consoling their friend, if they had they would have seen how different their friend really was.

"Hey!" shouted Shinpachi happily. "I can't believe you two are here, what have you been up to?"

"We're getting married, Shinpachi," said Kagura with a small smile, showing up her left hand for emphasis. "We came to invite you to our engagement party in a couple of days, that is, if you discharge yourself from this place first."

"You're getting married?!" exclaimed Shinpachi when he saw Kagura's ring shining on her finger. "Of course I'll be there! I was going to leave here soon, but now I have even more of a reason to leave!"

"Oh Shinpachi, that's excellent news!" gushed Kagura as she leaned over and patted his pillow, leaving Shinpachi confused, confused that is until he saw what she was actually addressing.

"Those are my glasses, you idiots!" he shouted angrily, storming over to the bed and snatching his glasses up from the pillow and practically breaking them as he shoved them back on his face. "I hate it when you two do that to me! I am a person with or without my glasses."

Neither Kagura nor Gintoki was listening to him as he rambled, they were too caught up in how different he looked since the last time they saw him. These last six months in seclusion had really transformed him; his face was much more chiseled than they remembered, more mature and to a certain degree handsome, his body leaner and more adult despite the fact he was almost twenty-two, and his hair went past his ears. Overall he was much, much different than when they saw him six months ago, which had ironically been about the same time Kagura and Gintoki had started their relationship.

"Wow!" exclaimed Kagura, jumping up and embracing her friend, not noticing him wince sharply. "Shinpachi, you look so grown up now! It's great to see you, we've missed you so much."

Shinpachi grinned sheepishly as he returned Kagura's enthusiastic embrace though without the same strength, he looked over her at Gintoki who was beaming proudly. "I can't believe you two are getting married! I didn't even know you were dating."

"We've been seeing each other since your exile," replied Gintoki with a shrug. "I just recently came to my senses that I wouldn't be anything without Kagura and she would be lost in this world without me. So we decided to get hitched."

Kagura released Shinpachi and turned to face Gintoki. "You make it sound so unromantic, Gin! I mean, the other day you were telling my father in public how much I meant to you and how much I changed your life for the better, why can't you do that with Shinpachi?"

Gintoki rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, I can't be shown going completely soft, it'd ruin the story completely. Anyway, back to the point of all this. Shinpachi, are you finally over this whole pregnant-sister-and-pregnant-pop-idol crisis and ready to come back home?"

Shinpachi nodded happily. "Absolutely, I'm so ready to get home and prepare for my nephew's arrival. I've missed everyone, especially you two."

"We've missed having you around too, Shinpachi," said Gintoki as he came over and patted him soundly on the shoulder. "It's been almost hell not having a Straight Man around, I mean I had to go ring shopping with Hasegawa."

"I'll be out of here by tomorrow," said Shinpachi with a big smile. "I just wanted one more day with decent cooking, although from what Kondo told me, he's been doing most of the cooking since Tae's too big to do much of anything now."

"Is there really only one in there?" asked Gintoki as Kagura giggled. "I swear she's mean enough for three little gorillas to be swimming around in there."

"Then gods help us if she ever gets pregnant with more than one," said Shinpachi with a shudder and the other two Yorozuya burst out laughing. "How long are you two staying? I mean, should I have food called in for you?"

Kagura shook her head. "No, we should be going soon. We start work in a little while."

Shinpachi's eyes went as wide as saucers. "What?! You two are working now? When they hell did this happen? It seems so unlike you to be working, what is this author doing to you two?"

"Kagura's working at granny's snack shop," said Gintoki, putting an arm around Kagura's waist. "And I have a few odd jobs lined up for the afternoon, when that's done we'll be having dinner with _Hage_ , he's in town for a few weeks, and will be here for the wedding miraculously enough."

Kagura punched him in the stomach. "You said we were going to plan the wedding so Papi could be here! Stop making it sound like getting married to me is such a pain in the ass."

Gintoki was doubled over but still standing as he looked up and smiled fondly at Kagura. "You would know, wouldn't you? Considering you are a pain in the ass."

Shinpachi watched as Kagura and Gintoki began squabbling, the familiarity of the scene bringing him great comfort at least until they started to grow louder and louder, insults flinging left and right. _'Maybe I'll stay here an extra couple of days.'_

* * *

Later that same day, Kagura was getting ready for her first ever shift at the snack house, Otose had explained that her job was to bring the guests their food and drinks as well as be pleasant when interacting with them. She had made it abundantly clear that she was not to act like Tae did at the hostess place, no matter how inappropriate the guest she was not to hit them unless they made a physical move against her, which was a fair deal she supposed. Looking at her outfit she could hardly complain, it was a very pretty green kimono that had been Otose's when she was a young woman and matched well with her vermillion red hair and blue eyes.

"Kagura!" shouted Gintoki as he entered their bedroom. "Kagura, your shift starts soon, are you ready yet?"

"Just finished," she said happily, turning around to see him. "What do you think? Not a bad outfit, especially considering it was granny's a long time ago."

Gintoki smiled appreciatively at her appearance, he had yet to see her in something that was unflattering to her beauty, even when she dressed in men's clothes she still looked like a ravishing goddess. "You look great, but then again you could make a brown sack look fashionable so it's really a hollow compliment. Oh, _Hage_ wants to know what time dinner's going to be, he apparently has a few errands to run and he still wants to make it in time to get a few bites of food before you devour it all."

"Dinner will be done after my shift is finished," replied Kagura with a slight pout. "What time do you think you'll be getting home today?"

Gintoki mulled the question over in his mind for a few moments. "Well, so long as Hinowa doesn't ask me to do anything to strenuous, I should be done around the same time you are. We'll have a proper family dinner tonight."

Kagura blushed. "The first of many, I hope."

"I think that can be arranged," said Gintoki, taking her in his arms. "So long as you from to pour my _sake_ at the end of the day. Just the thought of working so much makes me want a drink."

"I think that can be arranged," replied Kagura, kissing him lightly on the lips, knowing what would happen if she kissed him with anymore passion. "Now we should get going, our jobs start really soon and you have to get to Yoshiwara on that rackety old scooter, you need all the time you need."

Gintoki rolled his eyes as they walked arm in arm out of the room. "That scooter is not as unreliable as that pet of yours, it at least doesn't stop for piss breaks every half mile."

"Whatever," sighed Kagura as they entered the living room where her father was reclining on the couch reading a book. "Papi, we're headed out now, do you want me to pick anything up while I'm out?"

Umibouzu looked up at them from his book and shook his head. "No, I should find everything I need while I run my errands, thank you, Kagura. You and the Punk should get to work, don't worry about an old man like me."

"Sounds good to me," said Gintoki, tugging Kagura's hand. "Come on, honey, let's get going."

"Bye, Papi!" called Kagura as she and Gintoki left the small home.

Umibouzu smiled contentedly as the door closed, there was nothing better than seeing the daughter he loved so much getting on so well in life with someone who loved her just as much or more than he did. He thought about the last time he saw Kagura that happy and the only time he could think of was when he allowed her stay on Earth with Gintoki, and that was so long ago it almost could allow him to forget the fact she was never happy on their home world. Kouka had died when Kagura was very young and Kamui had left not long after, leaving her to be raised by various families with him visiting every few months just to make sure she was doing well. No, he had never been able to give her the happy home she so rightfully deserved and had had snatched away from her at a young age; the only person whom had been able to do that was Gintoki. It started when she was a young girl and his companion, now it was continuing with her as a young woman and as his wife. _'He's a better man than I,'_ he thought as he turned the page.

* * *

Kagura waved good-bye to Gintoki and headed inside the snack shop, which despite the afternoon hour had a number of customers sitting in the various booths situated around the small shack. They smiled when they saw her and she smiled back, heading over to the bar where Otose was already waiting with a tray full of drinks, her cigarette clutched in her fingers.

"Get to work, monster," said Catherine from her position at the bar, a cigarette in her hand as well. "Don't think we're going to go easy on you just because it's your first day."

Kagura rolled her eyes as she took the tray from Otose. "Whatever, cat freak, I'm sure I'll do just fine today." She took the tray over to the group of customers that were without drinks and smiled as she handed them out, making the customary small talk that was expected of her. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"How about some _onigiri_?" asked one of the men as he took a sip of his drink. "We're going to need something to wash down this swill."

"It'll take more than _onigiri_ to do that," replied Kagura with a wink, making the men laugh loudly. "Hey granny, an order of _onigiri_ for the men over at that second table."

"Fine, fine," grunted Otose then she looked at Tama. "Tama, get some _onigiri_ for the rowdy bunch."

"Yes, Otose," said Tama, the robot then went into the backroom to make the dish. Given how she made the food, eating the ingredients then throwing up the dish on the floor, it was best that it was done out of the view of the customers.

Kagura went to the other table and collected the empty cups, making sure to collect the money the patrons had left on the table before returning to where Otose was standing around waiting at the bar. She handed her the money and nearly pushed Catherine over as she shoved the tray of dirty dishes to the Amanto, with a smile she accepted the plates of _onigiri_ from Tama and went back to the table she had been serving earlier.

Otose smiled fondly as she put the money in the till. "Pay up, Catherine. She's been here five minutes and broken nothing and insulted no one."

Catherine snorted as she fished out a small bundle of bills. "It's still early, she could easily break something in the next few seconds."

"I highly doubt it," said Otose as she snatched the money away from her "daughter." "Now get to work washing those dishes."

"Since when do I wash dishes?" asked Catherine defiantly, half-heartedly glaring at Otose.

"Since Kagura did a better job as a hostess than you do," replied Otose with a thin smile, she then jerked her thumb in the direction of the sink, chuckling as Catherine grumbled angrily under her breath. She watched as Kagura flitted between the tables, chatting with the patrons and happily pouring them more _sake_ from the pitcher on the table. The girl was doing a better job than she thought she was going to do originally, when she offered the position initially she had almost rescinded her offer in the same breath once she thought the idea through completely. Now she was glad she had not, Kagura was clearly in her element being a hostess, and thankfully she had not picked up any of Tae's hostess habits. Then again, the night was young.

* * *

Gintoki whistled as he hung up a banner over Hinowa's shop, advertising to everyone about some two-for-one special she had going that week, though he was curious as to what she was giving away he knew better than to ask. Seita was close at hand, handing him nails as Gintoki hammered the banner into the wood archway above the door. The young boy had grown a great deal these last few years, he was almost a man now or so he said, capable of being a bouncer at one of the clubs despite his young age rather than an errand boy, which is what he had told his mother when she asked him to work with Gintoki.

"Are you almost done?" asked Seita as he watched Gintoki work. "You've used over a dozen nails, that sign can't be that heavy."

Gintoki chuckled as he hammered in another nail. "Looks can be deceiving, Guiding Star of Yoshiwara, just look at you. No one would think that you were the reason Hinowa kept living in the prison Housen designed for her."

Seita frowned as he handed Gintoki another nail. "Stop calling me that, it makes me sound like some kind of courtesan. And how in the world does that flimsy paper banner need thirteen nails?!"

Hinowa then rolled up, a smile on her face as she looked at the banner. "It's perfect Gintoki, thank you! You did a great job hanging it up."

Gintoki grinned as he jumped down from the ladder, startling Seita. "It's the least I could do, now is there anything else you need?"

The Sun of Yoshiwara nodded. "Would you mind helping me distribute these flyers in town so everyone knows about the special? I'd ask Seita, but he has to get back to his station at the toy store."

Seita practically smacked himself in the head. "I forgot! Sorry, Mom."

"It's fine," said Hinowa, ruffling her son's hair. "Run along and get ready, don't forget to tell Tsukuyo that we need her tonight at the Cherry Blossom Palace. Some of those men are getting too rowdy for the girls' liking."

"I will!" he said happily, giving his mother a hug before running off to his room, nail box still in his hand.

Hinowa chuckled and Gintoki rolled his eyes before they started down the street, Hinowa handing him a large stack of flyers that he started handing out to people that walked past them on the way to who knew where. Several times he was stopped on the street, some people asking for more information about the event but some offered him their congratulations on his upcoming wedding to Kagura. This surprised him greatly since he was not aware that the news had reached this area yet.

"They're happy for you," said Hinowa after a courtesan gave him a small envelope of money as a wedding gift. "Though I'm sure most of them would rather be in Kagura's place."

' _None of these women could take Kagura's place,'_ he thought happily as he put the money in his _yukata_. "That's understandable, many women here would want to be the wife of the Hero of Yoshiwara."

Hinowa nodded as she handed out another flyer. "Did the Hero of Yoshiwara like the gift his fiancée bought for him?"

Gintoki tried not to redden at the question, knowing full well what she was referring to. "He did, even though it was bought as a means of getting him to give something he was unwilling to part with."

"Yes, she told me her intention," said Hinowa lightly as she fanned herself. "I think it was rather sweet and romantic, if a little misguided. She thought having a baby would bring you two closer."

"I think we're close enough," laughed Gintoki nervously. "Anyway, how's Tsukuyo doing? I haven't seen much of her lately."

Hinowa shrugged. "Well enough, she still works late hours patrolling Yoshiwara, but is now taking a few hours off to unwind. She seems content with her life, even though not everything has worked out the way she wanted it to."

Gintoki said nothing, feeling the heavy weight of her eyes on him as they walked. Almost a year ago, Tsukuyo had approached him and declared her love for him, boldly asking him if he returned her feelings. He had informed her that he did not in fact reciprocate her affections, nor would he ever; he told her that she deserved someone who would love her the way she deserved and assured her that she would find that person. Despite having let her down gently, he knew Tsukuyo was still angry with him for his rejection and had been actively avoiding him whenever possible, like today for instance. He hoped that they would be able to move beyond this as he still considered Tsukuyo one of his closest friends and allies.

"She'll get over it," said Hinowa gently. "Eventually," she added as an after thought. "The heart wants what it wants, and the same can be said for you as well, Gintoki. You wanted to be with Kagura and your heart would accept no other, no matter what. I find it incredibly wonderful that the two of you love each other as much as you two do, it's refreshing to see such a gentle and innocent love flourishing like this."

"You make it sound like it's some fragile flower," remarked Gintoki as he crumbled up a flyer and threw it at a passerby who declined it, hitting him squarely in the head.

Hinowa laughed before responding. "All love is fragile at first, Gintoki, especially something like the love you and Kagura share. You must treat it as a treasured flower; keep it safe, pull away the weeds, give it what it needs and nurture it. Then the flower will bloom into something breathtaking."

Gintoki wanted to make a smart remark but thought better of it, after all she was only trying to be helpful and her advice was rather accurate. "Thank you, Hinowa."

The Sun of Yoshiwara gave him one of her truly sincere smiles and they pressed on, secretly she wondered how many weeds would try to hurt Gintoki and Kagura's flower.

* * *

Later that evening, Gintoki trudged up the stairs to his house exhausted from the day's work; after distributing those flyers, Hinowa had had him make some repairs to a number of the bars and pleasure palaces some of which required interesting ways of contorting his body so he could do the repair. After that he had to move some shipment boxes around the supply room of the toy store that were too big for Seita to do by himself. He could not complain too much, Hinowa had paid him rather handsomely for his assistance, plus a number of people in Yoshiwara had given him small envelopes of money as a way of congratulating him for his upcoming marriage. Overall, it was a fairly productive day.

He entered the house and took a deep breath, the smell of teriyaki meeting his nose and his stomach growled loudly. Quickly he took off his shoes and headed into the living room, he was a little surprised to see Umibouzu sitting on the couch petting Sadaharu, and mostly the surprise was due to the fact that every time he saw this man there was some kind of impending battle. Seeing him acting so domestic was a shock, plus he was not wearing his alien fighting gear, instead he was wearing an olive and white colored _yukata_ and his baldhead was on display for everyone to see.

"Nice to see you, Punk," said Umibouzu as he scratched under Sadaharu's chin.

"You too, _Hage_ ," said Gintoki as he stretched out on the couch opposite Umibouzu. "Get your errands done?"

Umibouzu nodded. "I did. What about you? Did you do some actual work today?"

"I do work almost everyday, old man," snapped Gintoki, slightly insulted at the implication. "You're just not always around to notice."

"Sure you do," chuckled Umibouzu. "Hey Kagura, is dinner about ready?"

"Yes, Papi," came Kagura's voice from the kitchen. "Is Gin home or are you just arguing with yourself, you crazy old man?"

Gintoki laughed loudly. "No, this time he's actually talking to me. How was work at granny's place? You haven't turned into Catherine yet, have you?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be cooking for you," she replied, stepping out of the kitchen with a large bowl of what looked like rice. "Get to the table and I'll go get the beef." She then placed the bowl on the table and headed back into the kitchen.

The two men looked at each other and shrugged before lugging themselves up from their respective couches, then sitting down in front of the table Kagura had set with bowls and cups, their chopsticks set neatly nearest them. They were both a little curious as to why Kagura had gone through all of the trouble of setting the table when it would have been simpler to just come out with the bowls already full of food and eat on the couch. Kagura then reentered with a pan of freshly made teriyaki beef, setting it down in front of them.

"Papi, please hand me your bowl," said Kagura sweetly, taking the bowl from Umibouzu then proceeding to fill it up with a generous helping of rice and beef then handing it back to him. She did the same thing with Gintoki's bowl before helping herself, she then poured her father and herself some water from the pitcher that was sitting on the table and she filled Gintoki's glass with some strawberry milk.

The two men shared a bewildered look as Kagura worked, both concerned about her seemingly submissive behavior that did not suit her character whatsoever.

"Kagura, are you all right?" asked Umibouzu, clearing his throat nervously. "You're acting a bit . . . strange."

"I'm fine, Papi," said Kagura with a small smile. "It's just . . . we haven't had a family dinner in so long, and I wanted it to be like when Mami cooked for us. I remember when she was able to, she would make dinner and have the table ready for when you and Kamui would return home from wherever you had been. She would bring the rice out first and everyone would be told to get to the table, then she would come out with the main dish, serving you first then Kamui then me then herself. She would pour the drinks and we would start eating." Kagura looked at the meal she had prepared. "I thought you would like it."

Umibouzu's face crinkled with the biggest smile Gintoki had ever seen gracing the old hunter's features, apparently what Kagura had done had touched the deepest corner of his heart. "I love it, Kagura," he said, leaning over and kissing the top of his daughter's head. "Now, let's eat, I'm half-starved."

"Finally we can agree on something," laughed Gintoki as he began eating, with almost the same ferocity as the two Yatos.

Kagura paused long enough between bites to ask her father a question that had been swimming around her brain all day. "Do you remember that day Kamui and I were convinced we could make miso soup from rain water?"

Umibouzu thought for a moment then laughed at the memory. "Yes! You two took that metal pot of your mother's outside while it rained and filled it with rocks, leaves, grass and whatever else you could get your hands on. Kamui called it 'flavoring' and you sat out in the rain with him for hours until that pot filled up with enough water. You then brought it back in and mixed it with your mom's soup spoon, thinking that would be enough and were so disappointed when nothing happened."

"I remember Kamui kicking the bucket and almost breaking his toe," laughed Kagura. "Mami thought it was pretty funny, you even made miso soup that very night!"

"Figures you'd remember the food," snickered Gintoki and Kagura pushed him playfully in the shoulder. "Sounds like you and Kamui had a fun time that day."

Kagura nodded somewhat weakly. "Yes, when he wasn't being a _baka_ he was a lot of fun to play with. He taught me all the constellations in the sky, making up stories about them to help me go to sleep. I miss that." She shrugged slightly, like she was trying to roll a weight from her shoulders. "Have you heard anything about him, Papi?"

"No," replied Umibouzu after a moment. "Last I heard he was still with that pirate friend of the Punk's, that Takasugi guy. Other than that, it's been pretty quiet, which concerns me."

Gintoki could sense that the dinner was headed down a sad and dark path unless they pulled back now, and he really did not want to see Kagura upset further. "Don't worry about it, if he shows his face around here, we'll take care of it," said Gintoki airily as he pulled out several envelopes from his _yukata_. "Take a look at these, Kagura, gifts from people in Yoshiwara!"

Kagura's blue eyes lit up and she started tearing into one as she asked about his day helping Hinowa out, throwing in some comments about her day at the snack shop. Gintoki smiled contentedly as he opened an envelope, not missing the wink Umibouzu gave him, the old man understanding what he did and why. Gintoki nodded discreetly as he handed the money to Kagura for her to count, wondering how he would handle things if Kamui decided to come back for a "visit." He hoped he would not.


	6. Chapter 6

**Parties would be More Fun if They Planned Themselves**

The sun filtered in through the window, the small beams hitting Gintoki's eyes just right to wake him up but not enough to make him get up, even though he and Kagura had a full day ahead of them. Today was their engagement party and they still had a few things left to do in order to get ready, not that he was in any rush. He sighed contentedly as he nestled against Kagura's back, which was currently pressed up against his chest, her body curved just right against his that he could feel a familiar stirring deep in his core. Umibouzu had mentioned going out that morning, so for the first time in days they were finally alone in the house, both having decided with great reluctance to abstain while Kagura's father was in town. With a smirk he started kissing along Kagura's long neck, nibbling occasionally as his free hand roamed down her scantily clad body to the apex between her thighs. Through her panties he massaged her womanhood as his other hand crept from beneath the pillow with ninja-like stealth to cup her nearest breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers as the assault on her neck and womanhood continued.

"Gintoki," moaned Kagura, her body starting to writhe under his ministrations, "don't stop, please . . . don't stop."

"I won't," promised Gintoki in a low voice as his fingers slipped past her panties and into her core, causing her to moan deeply. He moved his fingers in and out in a strong rhythm, imitating what he wanted to be doing with some other part of his anatomy, her hips met his fingers and he was growing impatient to be inside her as she wiggled against his cock. "Do you want me?"

Kagura did not answer right away, in response Gintoki stopped moving his fingers causing her to whine in protest, the sound sending even more blood south.

"Do you want me?" he repeated, moving his fingers teasingly. "Tell me, Kagura."

"I want you!" managed Kagura. "Gintoki, I want you!"

That was enough for him and he was quick to change positions so Kagura was pinned beneath him, her panties quickly dispatched as he gripped his cock while her entrance unfolded. Leaning forward he kissed her deeply as he guided himself towards her, waiting for the sweet feeling of being enveloped.

"Good morning!" came a completely unwelcome voice. "Kagura! Gintoki! Are you up yet?"

Gintoki's free hand twisted in the blanket his cock still primed to enter Kagura only to hear Shinpachi nearing their bedroom door. "Maybe if we're really quiet, he'll go away," whispered Gintoki and Kagura nodded though he could feel his erection ebbing away with every step Shinpachi took closer to their room. "There's only one way this could get any worse."

"Hello, Shinpachi!" called Umibouzu as he entered. "I just got back from some errands, but it looks like my daughter and her lay about fiancé are sleeping in today."

"They want to sleep in everyday," laughed Shinpachi.

"And it just got worse," sighed Gintoki and he released his grip on his now slack cock. "What do you want Shinpachi? We weren't expecting you until tonight."

"I came over to help you get ready for your party," called Shinpachi, his shadow now outlined against their door. "I mean, you two aren't exactly known for getting things done on time."

"Fine! Give us a minute," shouted Gintoki, when Shinpachi's shadow receded he hung his head in defeat. "Between your father and Shinpachi, I haven't been able to screw you like a man should screw his wife."

Kagura smiled sweetly up at him, cupping his cheek so he was looking at her. "Would you be happier if I maimed Shinpachi so he couldn't leave his house for a couple of days."

Gintoki grinned, kissing her lightly. "If I wasn't convinced that Tae would hurt us if we did, I would absolutely want you to do that. I guess we'll just have to wait until our wedding night . . . which is three weeks away . . . three long weeks . . ."

"I'll break his leg after the party," said Kagura as Gintoki rolled off of her. "Until then, we should just try to control ourselves."

"I'd sooner give up parfaits," said Gintoki as he looked at her half naked body lying next to him, the urge to take her bubbling up within him again. "We probably shouldn't spend much time together today, otherwise we really won't get anything done."

Kagura giggled as she stood up, putting on her panties as she headed to the bathroom though not before teasing Gintoki with a quick flash, making the samurai groan as he fell back on his pillow. "See you in a few minutes!" called Kagura as she closed the door.

"I really need to get laid," sighed Gintoki as he tried to ignore his throbbing erection. "Soon."

* * *

The street vendors were yelling loudly, trying to get the people passing by to buy their wares, some were even grabbing people forcefully off the street to get them into their store. Gintoki and Shinpachi were skillfully avoiding the pushy vendors on their pursuit of party decorations and music for that evening, Gintoki was trying to concentrate on the task at hand but his mind kept drifting back to that morning and how Kagura looked beneath him with her flushed skin and swollen lips.

"What theme were you thinking of for the engagement party?" asked Shinpachi, his voice breaking Gintoki's daydream. "You and Kagura didn't mention it this morning."

"We were a little busy controlling ourselves," mumbled Gintoki under his breath then he replied in a louder voice, "We were thinking of just something simple, mostly just food and alcohol with minimal decorations and music to cover up the sound of us eating."

Shinpachi rolled his eyes. "That's the same thing you said about your wedding."

"We have simple tastes," said Gintoki with a shrug as they entered the first party store they encountered. "Now, go fetch something not too flashy and relatively cheap while I read the _Jump_ magazine I brought with me." He pulled out the latest issue of his favorite magazine from within his _yukata_.

"Seriously?!" exclaimed Shinpachi as Gintoki sat by the door, his nose already deep in the first story. "Did you just bring me here so I could do all of the work for you and then you'll take the credit for what I find?"

"More or less," said Gintoki as he picked his nose. "Now hurry up, we don't have all day."

Shinpachi stomped away, grumbling under his breath as he made his way to the decoration section, wondering why he came out of the mental hospital in the first place. He perused the aisle, picking up some tasteful yet cheap decorations that he thought would make Otose's snack shop look decent for the evening when he heard arguing on the other side.

"Just pick a card, Hijikata," said a familiar voice. "It's not like Boss and China care what it says, they'll just be strip searching it for cash or food."

"You might be right, Okita," said Hijikata, "but that doesn't matter since as the Vice Chief of the Shinsengumi it is my social obligation to pick out decent cards for people I know."

Okita snorted. "Since when do you care about your social obligations? Last I checked you were just a glorified babysitter for Kondo."

"Yes, that might be true," said Hijikata with a sigh. "Regardless, we should try to improve our image now that Kondo is a respectable family man."

"And that translates to being civilized to a lazy samurai and his Yato bride?" asked Okita, obviously not convinced. "Whatever, Hijikata, it's your reputation on the line."

Shinpachi rounded the corner. "Hello Hijikata, Okita, long time no see."

Hijikata and Okita looked up from the card in Hijikata's hand to stare at Shinpachi, obviously not recognizing him since the last time they saw him he was shorter and so was his hair.

"Isn't that Boss Lady's brother?" asked Okita as he scrutinized Shinpachi, his hand going to the hilt of his sword as he stood in a battle ready position.

Hijikata's eyes widened in realization. "I think it is, Sougo, stand down."

Okita stood at rest though he did not let go of his sword hilt. "You've changed, Shinpachi, you don't look like a complete pushover anymore."

Shinpachi resisted the instinctual urge to roll his eyes. "I guess that counts as a compliment from you, Okita. Hijikata, you're looking well, thanks for not letting Sougo slice me to ribbons."

"It's the least I can do for my chief's brother-in-law," replied Hijikata before taking a drag of his cigarette. "What are you doing here, Shinpachi?"

"Picking out decorations for Gintoki and Kagura's engagement party tonight," replied Shinpachi, showing the few bags of decorations he had procured in the other aisle. "It looks like you two are picking out cards, find one yet?"

"I think we'll go with this one," replied Hijikata, showing a rather fancy looking white card with gold swirls. "It seems appropriate for the occasion."

"I don't think Kagura and Gintoki will care," said Shinpachi with a shrug. "He can't even be bothered to pick out his own decorations, so I doubt they'll look at the card for longer than a couple of seconds."

"Told you so," said Okita, glaring at the card like it was some kind of criminal abomination. "Anyway, we should get going, we're on patrol and it would look bad for Hijikata being caught not doing his duty."

Hijikata rolled his eyes as they headed out of the card section, only to stop and look back at Shinpachi. "You should consider joining the Shinsengumi, we could really use good men, and Kondo would be very happy to welcome you into our force."

"I'll consider it," said Shinpachi sincerely. "Thanks for the offer, Hijikata."

The Demon Vice Chief nodded and ran to catch up with his partner, leaving Shinpachi to consider his offer. _'It might be too out of character for me to accept,'_ he thought as he looked for some streamers. _'Then again, with Gintoki and Kagura getting married, it might be a good idea for me to look for something else to do with my time and the Shinsengumi aren't a terrible organization. I'll consider it for a little longer before I make a concrete decision.'_

Shinpachi continued with his assignment of finding decorations when he was finished he had two bags of balloons, streamers in red and gold colors, and some small bottles of bubble juice that he thought would be fun to use at the party. He went to the counter to pay, Gintoki getting up from beside the store's door to come to stand beside him, reaching into his wallet he pulled out the money to pay then handed it to Shinpachi.

"Since when do you have money?" asked Shinpachi as he handed the money to the cashier.

"Since I started working semi-regularly," replied Gintoki as he took the bags and started to leave the store, Shinpachi following behind.

"What has this author done to you?" he muttered as they continued down the street.

* * *

Kagura hummed happily as she brushed Sadaharu's freshly washed fur, glad that the breeze was in the right direction so all of the pieces of fur that came off went in the direction opposite of where she was standing. The giant dog panted as she worked, occasionally licking her whenever her hand got close enough to his mouth, making her laugh.

"You're the best pet a girl could ask for," she said fondly as she rubbed the spot between his eyes. "I'm glad Gintoki let me keep you."

"So am I!" called a familiar voice and she looked around to see Seita, Hinowa, and Tsukuyo standing in the street. "Hi Kagura!"

"Hi Seita!" she called back before leaping off the balcony, landing just a short distance from their position. Brushing off the dust she hurried over to them, taking Seita in a strong embrace that lifted him off the ground. "It's so good to see you!"

"And you, Kagura," said Hinowa happily as Seita struggled against Kagura's grip. "Kagura dear, I believe you're suffocating Seita."

Kagura looked down and saw Seita thrashing to get free, with a shrug she released him causing the boy to fall on his rear, which made the women giggle.

"It's not funny!" he protested as he got back on his feet, dusting himself off. "So Kagura, thank you for inviting us to the party and the wedding."

"Of course!" said Kagura, beaming. "I couldn't even imagine my wedding without the three of you there, you're some of my dearest friends. Won't you come inside?"

Hinowa nodded. "Of course, though if you wouldn't mind . . ." she indicated to herself and Kagura got the message, gingerly she picked up the immobile leader of Yoshiwara and started towards the house, Seita and Tsukuyo carrying Hinowa's wheelchair between them as they headed up the stairs. When they reached the door, Tsukuyo quickly cleared the chair of a box she had put in it when Hinowa left then Kagura lowered the Sun of Yoshiwara back into it. Seita pushed it into the house and over the small step into the living room, kicking off his shoes as he pushed his mother into the living room properly. He took a seat close to Hinowa and Tsukuyo sat beside him, putting the box in the empty space beside her as Kagura sat across from them.

"You keep a clean house, Kagura," said Hinowa as she admired the pristine room. "Gintoki is very lucky indeed."

"I suppose," said Kagura with a shrug though she was pleased at Hinowa's compliment.

Hinowa smiled then she looked at Tsukuyo. "Give her the box."

Tsukuyo took a drag from her pipe. "Sure, Hinowa."

Kagura looked at the colorfully wrapped box sitting beside Tsukuyo, very tempted to snatch it away but restrained herself enough to allow Tsukuyo to hand it to her.

The courtesan stood then picked up the box, offering it to Kagura with more grace than one would expect from the gruff courtesan. "On behalf of Yoshiwara, Hinowa, Seita and myself we present you with this gift in honor of your upcoming wedding."

Kagura nodded then tore into the paper, opening the box to see a beautiful midnight blue cheongsam as she pulled it out she saw it was embroidered with silver swans along the body, with silver lace along the capped sleeve hems and collar, and bright crystals sewn on throughout that looked like stars in the night sky. She wanted to cry at the sight, not having expected such a beautiful and lavish gift from them while at the same time she wanted to give it back; it was far too much for someone like her. "Thank you," she managed to muster as she set the dress back in the box, swallowing a sob, "but it's too much."

Hinowa shook her head firmly. "Don't be silly, Kagura, it's certainly the least we can do for you. Besides, it was Tsukuyo who designed it, so you really should thanking her."

"Thank you, Tsukki," said Kagura sincerely before launching herself at the stunned courtesan. Hinowa chuckled and Seita grinned as Tsukuyo tentatively returned Kagura's enthusiastic embrace before finally giving in and hugging the young girl back with a small smile on her lips.

"You're very welcome," replied Tsukuyo before they pulled away. "I'm sure Gintoki will fall over when he sees you in it."

Kagura grinned broadly. "I hope so, Tsukki, it would serve him right for going to the pachinko parlor."

Tsukuyo laughed. "That _baka_ will never learn, will he? Hopefully you'll set him straight one of these days, Kagura."

"I hope so," said Kagura, giggling then she blushed slightly. "You know, I wasn't exactly expecting guests before the party, so I have nothing prepared in way of food or entertainment."

"That's fine, Kagura," said Hinowa kindly. "If you like, we could help you prepare for your engagement party, I know Gintoki mentioned getting decorations but he didn't say who would be handling the food or anything like that. Besides, someone has to be here to help you get dressed, we wouldn't want the bride-to-be to have to get herself ready, now would we?"

Kagura looked to Tsukuyo. "You'll help me get dressed right?"

Tsukuyo seemed a little surprised and hesitated before speaking. "Of course."

The young Yato could hardly believe that she had such kind and generous friends, if she had been told when she was a child that she would be surrounded by people like this, she would have called them a _baka_ and likely knocked them in the head for good measure. She was especially surprised that Tsukuyo was being so nice to her; she thought she would hate her for the rest of her life after Gintoki rejected her declaration of love. She thought back to that night, when everything changed.

* * *

 _Gintoki stumbles in through the door looking dejected and tired as he kicks off his shoes, Kagura watches from the hall debating whether she needs to grab a blanket and a bucket but then she sees the expression on his face and knows this has nothing to do with sake. The samurai sits down on the little step and looks out at the night sky through the door he had forgotten to close, sighing heavily as he rests his head in his hands. She wonders if she should leave him alone with his thoughts or join him to see if he needs someone to talk to, but he turns around and she knows what he wants. Quietly she pads over, sitting down beside him as a cool breeze blows through the door, rustling her hair and nightshirt._

' _What happened?' she asks, knowing that he had been to Yoshiwara to see Tsukuyo that night, and she would never admit to him that she had been incredibly jealous when he told her._

' _She told me she loves me,' he replies, his voice quiet as if he does not trust the words._

 _Jealousy and rage boil up in Kagura, it is not the first time and it will probably not be the last that she thinks no other woman should be with Gintoki except herself; though she has to continually remind herself that she is just a teenager and he is a grown man who can make whatever stupid decision he wants to make. 'When's the wedding?' she asks, a trace of bitterness in her voice as she looks down at her hands, seeing that they have magically twisted into the fabric of her clothes._

 _Gintoki does not reply right away and she takes it as a sign that he does not want to tell her what happened and she thinks of leaving when he opens his mouth. 'I turned her down,' he says, this time turning to look straight at her. 'I said that I would never be able to love her, no matter how hard she tried to make me.'_

 _Kagura's heart pounds in her chest, her mind racing with questions she desperately wants to ask but dreads to hear the answers. 'Does that mean you're in love with someone else?'_

' _Yes,' says Gintoki simply and she wants to faint, he is never this straightforward nor so honest, this must be a very serious issue and it scares her all the more. 'And I've been in love with her for quite some time, but I will have to wait a little longer for her, because I don't think she even knows or has feelings for me.'_

' _Are you going to tell me who she is?' Kagura asks, praying that her cheeks are not as red as they feel. 'Or are you going to make this a cliffhanger?'_

 _Gintoki smiles casually. 'Well, I could give you three clues, if you're up to humoring me.'_

 _She tries not to pout as she nods. 'Sure, give me your first clue.'_

' _Alright,' says Gintoki as he stretches out his legs, 'your first clue is she has unusual taste in food, the amount she eats of it is almost to the point of the revolting.'_

' _That must be saying something given your preferences,' replies Kagura with a small grin. 'I have an idea but give me another clue so I can be sure.'_

 _Gintoki nods. 'Fair enough, okay, you're second clue is we met under very unusual circumstances, we more or less bumped into each other literally.'_

 _Kagura nods as her mind works on unmasking the woman who holds Gintoki's heart, she is definitely convinced that it is Sarutobi but she wants to hear the last clue before declaring her deduction. 'What's the last clue?'_

' _Really? You haven't figured it out yet?' asks Gintoki sounding defeated. 'I guess I'll have to make my next clue even more painfully obvious: I made a horrible mistake once and almost sent her away, only to then almost lose her to an alien plant creature so I rode in on a giant dog's back to save her. Is that helpful?'_

 _Kagura thinks for a moment, her mind reeling as she goes through the clues one by one to make sure she is right: unusual taste in food . . . sukonbu, something she eats large amounts. They had met under unusual circumstances; well Gintoki did hit her with his scooter. Finally the last clue is a detailed account of him saving her when she was going to leave the first and last time with her father. 'You're in love with me?' asks Kagura, almost not believing that the words are coming out of her mouth. 'I thought you were going to say Sarutobi.'_

 _Gintoki makes a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. 'Give me some credit, Kagura, I obviously have better taste than that clingy, kinky ninja.' She smiles weakly and he takes her hand in his. 'And yes, I am in love with you, Kagura. That's why I turned down Tsukuyo even though I was very tempted to accept her declaration; I was just about to when I realized that I would have to come home to you eventually and I knew that nothing would ever chase my feelings for you away. Not even the thought of being with Tsukuyo was strong enough to shake them.'_

' _Does this mean we're together now?' asks Kagura and is dismayed when Gintoki shakes his head._

' _Not yet,' he says sternly. 'Two things have to happen before that does: one, you have to turn eighteen so I'm not accused of taking advantage of a child and two you have to tell me that you love me and mean it.'_

 _Kagura cannot resist teasing him. 'Really? Eighteen? I turn eighteen in a few months, wouldn't it be better to wait until I'm twenty or something like that?'_

 _Gintoki shakes his head again. 'I thought about it and decided that no matter what the age, you would still be able to kill me if you thought it wrong. Besides, aren't most Yato girls married at eighteen? It might not be a conventional relationship but I wouldn't want one anyway, I've always been one to take on a challenge.'_

' _Are we going to tell Shinpachi about this?' she asks, knowing that the third member of their group would certainly notice a change in their dynamics._

' _Not yet,' says Gintoki. 'There isn't a reason to tell him anything, and besides I don't want to hear him lecturing me for the next few weeks about me taking advantage of you, the situation or all of the above.'_

 _Kagura laughs. 'I would hardly say you're taking advantage of me when you are fully aware that I can kill you, especially if I wasn't receptive to this conversation.'_

' _Which is why I don't think eighteen is an unreasonable age,' replies Gintoki as he pulls her close. 'But tell me right now if this isn't something you want and if it isn't we will pretend that this didn't happen and go on with life as it was.'_

' _I want this,' says Kagura honestly. 'I've always wanted this, Gintoki, even though I know that I shouldn't be interested in an old man like you. And I'm sure some people will tell us that you're a pervert and I'm too naïve to know better, but I'm not and you're not.'_

 _Gintoki grins as he cups her cheek, resting his forehead against hers. 'Then I guess I really can wait for you to be eighteen,' he says quietly before sealing her lips with his in a sweet, chaste kiss: her first ever and his last until the time is right._

* * *

The smell of freshly made food stirred Kagura's stomach as she assisted Tsukuyo in rearranging the snack shop's furniture so it would be more appropriate for a party. She tried not to moan at the smells coming from Otose's kitchen but she was finding it increasingly difficult to control her urges, especially when she could smell something that was distinctly chocolate in aroma. "Why won't Gintoki just hurry up already?" groaned Kagura as she put a table down gently against the wall.

Tsukuyo chuckled warmly as she moved the chairs out of the way. "You know how he is, he doesn't do anything on time. Besides, I'm sure he got distracted by a parfait or candy store."

Kagura giggled. "I'm sure you're right, Tsukki. Maybe we should send Seita out to try and locate Gintoki and Shinpachi?"

"Good idea," said Tsukuyo, her pipe clenched between her teeth. "Seita! Come out here, please!"

The boy came bolting out of the kitchen, his hair and clothes covered in a light dusting of flour, and came to a perfect stop in front of Tsukuyo. "What do you need, Tsukuyo?"

"I need you to go out and look for Gintoki," commanded Tsukuyo though Kagura could hear the affection on her voice. "The party is soon so remind him that this is his party and he should at least put some effort into it."

Seita nodded. "I'll find him and bring him back before you or Mom goes out looking for him yourselves." He then looked at Kagura. "Do you want him uninjured or injured?"

Kagura made a face like she was thinking about the options. "As much as I think he should be punished for running late, I would prefer him uninjured. He still has to attend the party and I would rather not listen to him bellyache about a broken limb."

"I can do that," said Seita, winking at her before taking off out of the snack shop.

When he was gone Tsukuyo and Kagura burst out laughing.

"Does he really think he can take on Gin?" wondered Kagura between giggles. "I know Seita's bigger, but seriously? Gin would have him pinned in seconds."

"I don't know what that boy is thinking half of the time," replied Tsukuyo, holding her sides as she tried to control herself. "I did like your response to him though, you almost had me fooled that you were seriously considering having him harmed."

Kagura shook her head. "No, that's going to be Shinpachi. He's been the most irritating cock block lately."

Tsukuyo's violet eyes lit up with interest. "Really? He's been denying you and Gintoki some alone time?"

"Yes," replied Kagura with a small sigh. "We were so close this morning but between him and my father, it was utterly pointless."

"You should have said something sooner," said Tsukuyo with a slight smile. "I could have distracted your father and Shinpachi long enough for you and Gintoki to have a quickie or two."

Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Really? You know of a way to keep them occupied for an hour?"

Tsukuyo shook her head. "I said a quickie, not a full on romp."

"But that is a quickie to us," said Kagura and Tsukuyo looked both shocked and jealous at the same time. "And anyway, Tsukki, you don't have to we'll just wait until our wedding night."

"As long as you're sure," said Tsukuyo nonchalantly with a shrug. "You finish up in here and I'll go see if the others need help in the kitchen. We'll go upstairs as soon as you're done so you can change."

Kagura nodded and went about moving what furniture remained, almost dropping a table when she heard Hinowa shout, "An hour is a quickie!?"

* * *

Seita rounded a corner and stopped to catch his breath, he had been running up and down the streets looking for any sign of Gintoki or Shinpachi and so far had come up with nothing except a few people saying they had seen him hours ago. He had run into some people on their way to the engagement party, all saying that they had yet to see Gintoki or Shinpachi. He was starting to get discouraged, wondering if maybe Gintoki skipped town and took Shinpachi with him so no one would know where he went. _'If that's true then Kagura certainly deserves someone better,'_ he thought as he scanned the crowd of people in front of him. Recovering enough breath and determination to continue the search, he pushed past several people on his way over to the small candy stall that sometimes would set up shop in the market, deciding that if Gintoki was not here he would return to the snack shop to get Tsukuyo.

When he got to the stall he saw Shinpachi and Gintoki standing near it, the former trying to pull Gintoki away as he munched on a candy apple and a caramel apple, taking bites from each before chewing.

"They really should combine these flavors." Seita heard Gintoki say as he drew nearer. "Candy caramel apples are something the world desperately needs."

Shinpachi pulled on Gintoki's arm. "Well we desperately need to be getting back to the snack shop, otherwise we're going to have a very angry Yato woman chasing after us. The party is supposed to start in fifteen minutes and we went out almost six hours ago! We have to deliver these decorations at least, as a peace offering."

Gintoki did not seem overly concerned with getting to the snack shop. "Calm down, Shinpachi, the women have probably taken care of the decorations and everything else. We just have to arrive five minutes before the scheduled start time and offer up some explanation for why we weren't there sooner. I'm leaning towards an ambush, what about you?"

"I'm leaning towards the idea that I'm never going to live to see my own wedding, let alone yours," fretted Shinpachi. "Kagura's going to kill me."

"You're right about that," said Seita sternly, crossing his arms against his chest. "The women are already wondering where you are, so I would suggest coming back now and not waiting until five minutes before it starts. Kagura might show mercy then."

"How cute," said Gintoki fondly as he patted Seita on the head. "He thinks he's big enough to boss adults around, how adorable." He took another bite out of each apple. "We'll be back soon enough."

Seita frowned deeply. "No, you're leaving with me now or I'll send Tsukuyo and Otae after you."

All color drained from Shinpachi's face at the mention of his sister, his very pregnant, very hormonal, very violent sister. He fell to his knees and clasped his hands. "Please, Gintoki, let's leave now! I don't want to die after just getting out of the mental institution."

Gintoki rolled his eyes as he chewed. "Fine, we'll go. Are you happy now?" He started walking towards the snack shop, Seita and Shinpachi running to catch up to him.

"Thank you, Gintoki," said Shinpachi, very relieved. "If my sister came after us, you and Kagura would never be able to . . . connect as a man and wife should."

"Like that makes a difference right now," mumbled Gintoki as they walked. "Anyway, Seita, did the women set up decorations?"

Seita nodded. "They did, Mom and Kagura went shopping for them earlier. They look really nice."

"That means they were expensive," huffed Gintoki as he looked at the two bags on Shinpachi's arms. "Women always choose the most expensive of anything, and what are we supposed to do with the stupid decorations we bought?"

Shinpachi rolled his eyes. "Well if we had gotten back sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation, now would we?"

"You're starting to sound like an old mother, Shinpachi," sighed Gintoki as they rounded a corner, the snack shop just a short distance away. "Come on, time to go lay on the charm."

Upon entering the snack shop the two men were greeted by several angry looking women: Otose, Catherine, Tama, Hinowa, Tae, Sarutobi, and Kyuubei were all standing around in a half circle at the entrance of the store. They all had their arms crossed and the fiercest looks that Gintoki and Shinpachi had ever seen on a collective group of women before, inwardly they prayed to never be in this kind of situation again if just to avoid the glares. Without thinking twice, they fell to their knees and bowed at the waist so their noses touched to floor, wailing pleas of mercy as they continued bowing.

"What a couple of _bakas_ ," said Catherine as she took a drag of her cigarette. "I say they should clean the snack shop for the next month to pay back what we spent on the food and decorations. And be our personal servants for a month."

"Anything but that," begged Shinpachi as he came up only to go back down again.

"I don't want to have to serve that monster," cried Gintoki as he came up.

Catherine scowled before kicking him square in the chest, sending him flat on his back as the others looked on, not even bothering to assist him. Seita went to help him but Hinowa held him fast beside her, shaking her head.

"I don't want you anywhere near that man, Seita," she said sternly. "He's a disobedient and childish man and I don't want that rubbing off on you."

"Hey! I gave you that kid!" protested Gintoki, pointing accusingly at Hinowa. "You should pray to your deity that he turns out like me! Most women would kill to have a son like me."

"Don't hold your breath," muttered Otose as she lit a cigarette.

"Where's Kagura?" asked Shinpachi, hoping that the change in subject would prolong their lives a little longer.

Tae rubbed her belly as she glared at her brother. "She's upstairs with Tsukuyo getting ready. And really Shinpachi, I'm surprised at you, I thought you were more responsible than this."

Shinpachi wanted to cry as she looked at him harshly. "I am! It's just there's no reasoning with Gintoki when he's set on something."

Kondo came up and put a hand lovingly on Tae's shoulder. "You know he's right, Tae, you really shouldn't blame him for what's happened. If anything he's just as much a victim as the rest of us, so how about letting him off easy? Just this once."

"Sure," said Tae as she smiled at Kondo, then she motioned for Shinpachi to stand up and join her. "I know this wasn't your fault, Shinpachi, but I want you to remember this the next time you're in this kind of situation."

Shinpachi nodded as he scrambled to his feet, joining his sister and brother-in-law as the others continued to harass Gintoki for his behavior. Suddenly from among them emerged Umibouzu, whose gaze was just as fierce as the women's and Gintoki suddenly found himself wanting to go back and time and punch himself for ever having thought that returning five minutes before the party started was a good idea.

"Is this how you intend to act on your wedding day?" demanded Umibouzu, casually throwing his umbrella over his shoulder. "Because if it is, I will take Kagura back with me and she will marry someone who will take marrying her a bit more seriously."

Gintoki felt very much like a child being scolded by his parent but he knew better than to argue, looking back he had behaved very stupidly and he should have just done what he said he would instead of playing games. Those kinds of games no longer worked now that his life did not revolve completely around _Jump_ magazine, pachinko, and strawberry milk. "I'm sorry," said Gintoki, bowing his head slightly. "I acted stupidly and caused you all unnecessary trouble, for that I apologize."

Everyone in the room was stupefied, they had expected him to argue and try to charm his way out of the situation, none of them had anticipated him actually admitting to what he had done being stupid. No one could come up with anything to say in response, just sit in stunned silence as they came to the realization that maybe Gintoki was starting to mature . . . maybe.

"What's going on?" asked a voice, Gintoki turned to see Kagura standing at the entrance, wearing the most beautiful dress he had ever seen. She seemed to have transformed into a goddess just by putting on that dress, or she had always been that way and it took the dress to fully show it. "Gintoki, it's nice of you to join us."

He immediately jumped to his feet and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry about the delay, Kagura, I, well, uh—"

Kagura put a hand over his mouth and smiled. "It's alright, you're here now and that's all that matters." She moved her hand and he smiled. "Now, since everyone's here, I suggest we start celebrating! It's not everyday I get a chance to show off something nice Gintoki bought me."

Then just like that the music started and food was brought out while people began mingling. Gintoki was a little surprised at how quickly the party began but he knew better than to question it, after all who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth when he had been so close to screwing everything up? He stuck close to Kagura's side, determined not to ruin this night more than he already had, and to be honest it was quite nice to relax and accept presents from people without question.

"This is from the Shinsengumi, Boss," said Okita as he approached with a card. "We would like you to accept this as a token of our esteem."

Hijikata came up suddenly. "Yes, we have learned to appreciate your input in our cases and the friendship we have fostered, and this is the least we can do."

Gintoki and Kagura looked at each other before tearing into the card, Kagura coming up with the check for 5,000 yen. The two of them looked at the check then back at the two Shinsengumi samurai, they could hardly believe they were being given this much money.

"We're rich!" shouted Kagura as she waved the check around. "Thanks to the Shinsengumi we're fabulously well off."

Okita shook his head. "Oh no, that wasn't from us, that was from Hijikata personally."

Hijikata looked stunned then suspicious as he snatched the check away from Kagura, inspecting it. "I don't remember writing it."

"Don't be modest, Hijikata," said Okita smoothly. "You have such a modest and caring spirit, of course you wouldn't want to take credit for making these two so happy. It's not as if you paid for their honeymoon."

Gintoki pulled another piece of paper out of the card. "Wow! Hijikata did pay for our honeymoon! A deluxe suite at a seaside resort for an entire week."

Kagura squealed happily and Hijikata looked as if he had been kicked in the stomach.

"You did this, Okita!" shouted Hijikata angrily. "You set all this up and used my bank account to do it."

Okita shook his head. "Now why would I do something like that? It's not like now everyone will be expecting the same kind of treatment from the Vice Chief of the Shinsengumi . . . oh wait, they might."

"What do you mean they might?" demanded Hijikata. "I'll never do this again, I won't even give a lousy card to the next person I know getting married."

"You shouldn't say that, Hijikata," said Okita with a slight smirk. "After all, you can't be showing favoritism to Boss and China over your own men, and besides your reputation would be put at stake and not just yours but the entire Shinsengumi's."

Hijikata glared dangerously at his subordinate. "This isn't over, Okita." He then turned to Kagura and Gintoki, showing massive restraint in his emotions. "I hope you two enjoy your honeymoon, and spend the money wisely."

The Vice Chief slowly walked away, keeping his face on anything except Okita, the younger of the two winked at Gintoki and Kagura before disappearing into the crowd. Kyuubei was the next to approach them, her fiancé Toujou standing dutifully at her side.

"Congratulations on your upcoming marriage," said Kyuubei as she bowed. "On behalf of the Yagyuu Family we ask that you accept this cash gift." She took an envelope from Toujou and handed it to Kagura. "We also ask that you accept this finely crafted sword as a token as well." Toujou brought out a black sword scabbard, a golden handle topping it, he handed it directly to Gintoki who proceeded to pull the blade out and examine it carefully.

He laid the blade across the top of his arm and noted the thinness of the sword, how sharp the edge was and the intricate the dragon design had been inlaid on the flat surface of the blade. Looking down at the end, he saw that the point was perfect, the curve just angled up enough that it would cut through any enemy like it was made of butter. "Thank you for the sword," said Gintoki as he sheathed it. "We will treasure it always as a sign of friendship between our two families."

Kyuubei smiled kindly. "I look forward to the day when our children play together, Gintoki and Kagura. It will be a beautiful day."

Kagura smiled widely as she hugged the serious samurai. "Thank you for the gifts, Kyuubei, I can't wait to return the favor at your wedding."

Gintoki chuckled nervously as he pulled Kagura away from Kyuubei. "Now, now, Kagura, don't go making promises we can't keep. When Kyuubei gets married we'll give her a nice gift, maybe not as nice as the sword, but nice."

"Don't worry, Gintoki," chuckled Kyuubei warmly. "Ayumu and I are going to only ask for guests to donate any amount they can to the charity of our choice, we don't need any money or gifts."

"Yes, we are quite content," said Toujou and his fiancée smiled at him before heading off to talk with Tae. "Although if you are feeling particularly generous, you wouldn't mind buying a couple of Gothic Lolita kimonos for Kyuubei."

Kagura and Gintoki laughed as Toujou headed towards where Kyuubei was standing with Kondo and Tae, who had Shinpachi between them as if trying to create some distance between his sister and brother-in-law. So far the party seemed like a success, though that could change at a moment's notice.

* * *

The party progressed late into the night and throughout, Kagura and Gintoki were given more presents: Shinpachi gave them a framed picture of the Yorozuya and Sadaharu, Kondo and Tae gave them credit at a furniture store for when they felt like refurnishing their house, Sarutobi gave Kagura a handkerchief and to Gintoki she gave a framed photograph of herself in an S&M costume as well as a box of tissues. He immediately smashed the photograph when he unwrapped it. Otose said her present would be arriving later, closer to their wedding, Catherine said she could care less about giving them a present, and Tama gave them a scrapbook full of images from some of their past battles. They found it a little creepy since Tama had not been with them during some of these encounters. The group from Yoshiwara, in addition to the dress Kagura was wearing, provided Gintoki with a set of robes to wear at his wedding. Tsukuyo even smiled at him before returning to a conversation she was having with Hijikata.

They found themselves nestled in the nearest booth, their haul on the table as they watched their friends and family dancing and drinking, the two of them quite content to just sit back and let things proceed naturally. That was until Hasegawa came out with a massively sized bottle of dom perignon. The MADAO stood on top of Otose's bar and shook up the bottle as hard and fast as he could, somehow managing to pop the cork out with only his thumbs, causing the bubbly liquid to explode like a volcano all over the guests down beneath him. The majority of the blast caught Kagura and Gintoki, soaking them completely through with the sticky substance. Gintoki did not mind the shower in expensive champagne, actually it was quite refreshing, but Kagura on the other hand was absolutely seething with rage, her brand new dress was now soaked through with the champagne and she was ready to kill. Leaping up onto the table she glared dangerously at Hasegawa.

"You're going to pay for a new dress, MADAO!" she shouted before jumping from the table, doing a flip as she began to land so her feet were propelled right into Hasegawa's chest, sending him backwards into Otose's shelves of cheap alcohol. She landed on the top of the bar and that was all it took for other fights to break out. Okita punched Hijikata squarely in the jaw, laughing as he stumbled only to get a mouthful of Hijikata's fist moments later. Sarutobi let out an annoying battle cry before picking up a chair, about to break it over Tsukuyo's head when the death courtesan stepped out of her way, sticking out a foot to trip her and she came crashing down. Tsukuyo laughed before taking a drag from her pipe, having not even dropped it in the process of evading Sarutobi's pathetic attack.

Catherine took the opportunity to tackle Tama, only for the robot to lean forward at that precise moment, sending Catherine into the nearest table. She growled then turned back on Tama who was ready with her broom in the air, fire shooting out of it as she chased Catherine around the snack shop with it. Tae and Kyuubei decided joined in, both sucker punching their significant others just for old time's sake, then high fiving before finding a place to hide among the upturned tables. Shinpachi was hiding with Hinowa and Seita until the small boy decided to tackle him, the two then proceeding to roll across the floor while Tsukuyo placed herself between Hinowa and the anarchy going on around them. Kondo and Toujou had for some reason decided to fight each other and were scuffling in a corner as Okita and Hijikata came tussling through, throwing fists and punches as well as barbed insults. Gintoki watched the chaos and merely shook his head as he resumed his position at the table, still soaking with champagne. Kagura saw him and maneuvered herself across the battlefield, managing to put a few well-placed punches on Okita as she joined Gintoki.

"This is some party," said Gintoki casually as some of their friends tumbled by. "Are you actually going to make Hasegawa pay for a new dress?"

Kagura shrugged as she took a drink of some _sake_ sitting in front of Gintoki. "No, Hinowa told me earlier that she knows a drycleaner in Yoshiwara who is pretty skilled at getting anything out of any fabric. I'll take it there in the morning, but I might make the MADAO pay for it."

Gintoki chuckled. "You know that won't happen, Kagura, Hasegawa's pretty damn broke. You'd be better off making him do it himself."

"Maybe," sighed Kagura as she nestled against Gintoki.

"Are you really not mad at me for not being here sooner?" he asked, putting an arm around her as Seita went flying through the air.

Kagura nodded. "I was mad at you but Tsukuyo convinced me to let it go, and I have to say she was right. I didn't want to spend the entire night angry with you and not enjoy the party, so I decided to let it go."

"I'll have to thank Tsukuyo then," said Gintoki as he watched the brawling. "And find some way of making it up to you later."

"I look forward to that," said Kagura seductively. She leaned up and kissed him deeply then pulled away with a calm smile on her face. "Shall we join them?"

Gintoki nodded then holding hands they jumped up from the table and began tussling with their friends, both wondering how their wedding would turn out now that their engagement party had turned into a brawl. They looked forward to finding out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Men and Women Talk About Very Different Things With Their Friends**

The sound of work filled the air and the people below looked up in shock to discover that the noises were coming from the Yorozuya, for a moment some people considered it likely that the lazy inhabitants had died and Otose was having the place redone to cover up a grisly scene. Then they thought perhaps she had finally kicked them out and was remodeling in order to attract high paying tenants; however all these speculations were dismissed when they saw Gintoki and Shinpachi leaving the building to collect pieces of dark stained lumber that were resting at the bottom of the stairs.

"I still don't understand why you want to build a bedframe, Gintoki," panted Shinpachi as they carried the long piece of lumber, its thickness closer to that of a small tree trunk, awkwardly up the stairs. "Wouldn't Kagura just break it by stubbing her toe?"

Gintoki shrugged as he adjusted his hands to a more comfortable position. "She might but she didn't break that shelf she slept on for a number of years nor did she tear the screen on the door. I'm pretty confident that she won't break this bedframe unless she really tries."

"She might break it if she's on top," teased Shinpachi only for him to end up with the piece of lumber pressed against his torso roughly. "What the hell?!"

"I thought we had an agreement," snapped Gintoki as he pushed against the board a little harder. "You don't mention my sex life with Kagura and I let you maintain hope of a potential one with some other woman."

Shinpachi nodded fitfully then Gintoki released the pressure and they resumed their task.

"You'd think I was preventing you from getting laid or something," muttered Shinpachi as they stepped into the house. "Umibouzu's here too, so that can't be helping things."

"Neither of you are helping," said Gintoki as they put the piece of lumber down in the bedroom, in front of the three-quarters finished bedframe outline. "Kagura and I haven't been able to do it since he got here and you popping in unannounced only worsens the issue."

Shinpachi tried not to glare at his best friend. "If you feel that way, then I'll just join the Shinsengumi! At least there they won't treat me like some unwanted cock block."

Gintoki looked genuinely surprised by the other man's outburst. "I don't remember saying you were unwanted, Shinpachi. And what's all this nonsense about joining those _bakas_? You'd seriously consider leaving us to join them?"

"Well, Hijikata offered me a position a few days ago," said Shinpachi slowly, this not being how he wanted to introduce the subject. "He said the Shinsengumi could use a few good men like me and it sounded like a good idea since once you and Kagura get married, things will be different."

"Nothing's different now, Shinpachi," argued Gintoki trying to sound reasonable but he knew he would get himself worked up eventually. "Kagura and I have been together for a while now and nothing seems different."

Shinpachi smiled sadly at his friend. "Nothing seems different to you, Gintoki, because part of what's changed is you. I mean, you're now far more responsible than you ever were before, you're concerned about finances and taking care of a family, not to mention making Kagura happy. Kagura's changed too, she now thinks about keeping a tidy house and being a good wife to you. I don't think I fit in here anymore."

Gintoki shook his head. "You do belong here, Shinpachi, you're part of the Yorozuya and always will be." He then saw the sad light in Shinpachi's eyes. "But if you feel that you need to branch out and learn to be you, then I can't stop you. I don't want you to think that I'd be happy to see you leave, even if it meant one less cock block, because I'd miss you and so would Kagura. You're our friend and like family to the both of us."

"Thank you," said Shinpachi with a sincere grin. "I'll admit, I thought you were going to start pushing me out the door the moment I said the Shinsengumi offered me a spot so I wouldn't be around to bother you and Kagura anymore."

"Why would I be happy about my brother leaving?" asked Gintoki as he knelt down and started pushing the piece of lumber in place with the others.

Shinpachi said nothing as he knelt beside Gintoki and started assisting him, chancing a glance at the man who had become as much of a brother to him too.

* * *

Kagura looked at the tiny kimono in her hand, it was green and blue with bamboo stalks sewn onto it, the fabric was very soft and she wondered if she could get one made in her size as she handed it back to Tae. The two women were finalizing the nursery at Tae and Kondo's new home, so far Kondo had set up the big pieces of furniture where his wife wanted them and now they were putting the smaller stuff away like clothes and toys. It amazed Kagura that a baby would need so much stuff when all it would do is sleep and cry and eat.

"Who gave you that one?" asked Kagura as she handed it to Tae and then picked up a toy sword.

"Kyuubei gave me that kimono," replied Tae as she put it in a dresser drawer. "I think it'll make a great play outfit for the baby, don't you?"

Kagura shrugged as she tested the durability of the toy sword by bending it. "I guess, but what's wrong with something simple? Why does it have to be so elaborate?"

Tae chuckled warmly as she moved on to another box of baby clothes. "I'm sure if you had a baby, you'd be more than happy to let it run around in nothing but a diaper."

"It would make doing laundry simpler," said Kagura as she moved on from the now broken sword to a toy drum. "Hey Big Sis, when did you know you loved Kondo?"

The older woman looked a little surprised by the question but she smiled kindly as she continued to fold and put away clothes. "I believe it was when he was about to get married to that giant gorilla, I couldn't stand the thought of him being married to someone else, even if my pride prevented me from telling him."

"Why didn't you just tell him?" asked Kagura as she discreetly put the drum back in the toy chest, hoping that Tae would not notice the broken part. "It would have saved you both a lot of trouble in the long run."

"I guess, but I didn't want him to know that I loved him," replied Tae with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "I said my pride prevented me, and I meant it. There was no possible way I was going to tell him after all that how I actually felt about him, besides I got to do a lot of fun things to him before I confessed."

Kagura snickered wickedly at the thought of some of the things Tae had done to Kondo before they began dating, the best one had to be when they were sick and she made him stand outside in the snow naked with green onions up his butt. "It's too bad that once you tell a man you love him, you can't do anything mean to him anymore," sighed Kagura. "Sometimes I miss the days before Gintoki and I were together, I could get away with a lot more than I can now."

"You can still try, although it would have to be in a new way," explained Tae. "For example, all I have to do is say I feel the presence of an evil spirit near me or the baby and Kondo is doing whatever I tell him to try and rid us of the spirit. I managed to get him to hang upside down from a tree naked."

"You're evil, Big Sis, and I hope to be just like you," said Kagura as she sat cross-legged on the floor, looking up at Tae with sisterly affection.

"When did you know you loved Gintoki?" asked Tae as she picked up a small pile of very soft looking blankets.

Kagura thought for a moment. "When I told him he was stuck with me forever and he should stop looking at other girls. When he looked at the weather girl, I threw the remote through the television."

Tae laughed. "That's certainly something I could see you doing. Although I'm sure you loved him sooner than last week."

They shared a wink before Tae returned to her work, humming as she maneuvered her large belly out of her way while Kagura sat there thinking about the actual moment she knew she loved Gintoki. It was not like she did not already love him, she saw him as her protector and champion for the longest time, and eventually it just progressed to a more romantic love. Although there was one night that stood out most in her mind whenever she thought about when she knew Gintoki was the one for her. It was when he had banished the nightmare of all nightmares.

* * *

 _Blood. Blood is everywhere. Dripping down the walls, running in rivers on the floor, a never-ending flood of red liquid. She stands at the center of it all, the liquid of life trickling down the tips of her fingers as she takes in the death and destruction around her. Around her are the bodies of people a part of her remembers, the part that mourns their deaths but is unable to save them from their demise._

 _She walks past them, stepping over blood soaked lavender hair and a burnt out cigarette still attached for the face ripped from its owner's skull. There is one person in particular she wants to make sure is dead, the only person who could save her from this monster, yet she is unable to reach because of the cage she is in. Standing over she smiles, blood slides down her lips and she can smell the metallic bite, only fueling her lust further. Reaching down she twists her fingers violently in silver hair, pulling up the body so it is off the ground, the maroon eyes no longer halfway closed but permanently opened in horror as the lifeless gaze meets her own._

' _You failed, Gintoki,' she says, no longer recognizing her voice._

 _The man who she adores says nothing and with hardly any effort, she digs the fingers of her free hand in the skin of his throat and takes delight in the sounds of breaking bones and tearing flesh. She pulls hard and soon all she is holding is Gintoki's severed head._

' _Gin-chan!' she shouts, trying to bolt up in bed only to find herself pinned down by a heavy limb._

' _Oi, what do you want, brat?' he asks, sounding sleepy. 'Can't you see that some people are trying to sleep?'_

 _Kagura looks down at him, realizing now that what she saw was just a twisted dream of her own creation. Without a second thought, she crushes him against her in a very tight embrace, knocking the wind out of his lungs._

' _Ka-Kagura,' he wheezes, trying to push her off. 'What the hell is wrong with you?'_

 _She is shaking with suppressed sobs, trying not to show how terrified her dream made her but knowing he will find out sooner or later. 'I had . . . had a nightmare.'_

 _He relaxes in her grip and tries to return her embrace, managing to brush his lips across her forehead. While she is now eighteen, they were still not together, despite her knowing how he felt about her and that it was more or less torture for him to be this close to her without being with her. 'Tell me,' he says, his voice a soothing balm for her soul._

' _I killed everyone,' she says when she finds her voice, letting him go so he can breathe again. 'I was covered in blood to the point it was like a river coming off of me, I didn't know how I got like that but I was and I couldn't stop myself.' Sniffling a little she lets out a shaky breath. 'And . . . and you were already dead but . . . but it wasn't enough for me . . . I ripped off your head . . .'_

 _Gintoki pulls her up and adjusts their positions so she is lying on his chest, his arms wrapped snugly around her. 'I thought you were dreaming about something terrible,' says Gintoki gently as he strokes her hair, something he learned calms her considerably. 'I thought sleeping beside you would stop it but I guess I was wrong.'_

 _Kagura looks up at him and in the sliver of light coming through the slightly closed door she can see the strangest look on his face, she sees that look sometimes when he eats a very good chocolate parfait. 'Gin-chan, why did you do that?'_

' _Because I love you, baka,' he says fondly, kissing her forehead. 'A samurai must always protect his woman from any danger, it's an unwritten rule.'_

' _Even if the danger is in her head?' asks Kagura quietly, shivering at the memory of the bloody scene she tries to banish from her mind._

' _Even then,' replies Gintoki holding her tighter as his voice becomes quieter. 'It just means he has to try harder. Can I do anything to help you?'_

 _Kagura thinks for a moment then shakes her head. 'No, this is fine.' She snuggles against him further. 'Gin-chan, how do you know if you love someone?'_

 _When she does not hear an immediate reply, she looks up and sees him sleeping, the sight making her smile. She pulls her blanket back over them and wraps herself around Gintoki like a vine, finding relief in the sound of his heart beating steadily in his chest. 'I love you, Gintoki,' she says, kissing his clothed chest._

 _Before she falls asleep she hears him say, 'I love you too, Kagura.'_

* * *

"They do not do that!" argued Shinpachi as he held a board steady across the bedframe.

"They absolutely do," countered Gintoki around a few screws as he screwed in several screws already in the board with a drill.

Shinpachi rolled his eyes. "Gintoki, they don't deprive you of your favorite thing during Shinsengumi training."

Gintoki finished with the line of screws then removed the ones he was holding with his lips. "Yes, Shinpachi, they do. It would explain so much about the three _bakas_ we know already."

"So what you're saying is they took away Hijikata's mayo?" asked Shinpachi skeptically as they moved onto the next board.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying," said Gintoki as he started drilling. "That's why he's obsessive over it to the point of the disgusting. He went a whole year without and now he can't go two minutes without it."

Shinpachi looked at Gintoki doubtfully. "If the whole purpose is to teach discipline then he definitely failed."

"I never said he passed," responded Gintoki. "Okita did a better job, he was deprived of submissive women. Doing so enhanced his sadism but you don't see him walking around with a whole pack of women on dog leashes do you?"

"I guess not," said Shinpachi slowly. "But what about Kondo? The only thing he cares about is my sister and he didn't know her until after he became part of the Shinsengumi."

"My sources tell me that he was not allowed to be naked for any extended period of time," replied Gintoki seriously. "Of course he wasn't able to be disciplined that way since he still enjoys stripping down to nothing. Don't worry, Shinpachi, the worst they'll do to you is prevent you from watching, thinking about, hearing, or seeing your pop idol."

He glanced up and saw that Shinpachi looked ready to be sick all over the place. Smirking, Gintoki went back to work, humming a Tsu Tarakado song as he finished screwing in the final screws on that side of the bed. They had made a considerable dent in the work that he wanted to get done before the wedding: they had patched in the places where pieces of wall were missing, filled in and painted over a few cracks in the kitchen, cleaned up the massive nest of dog hair in the closet and put in a cushion for Sadaharu, fixed some tears in the screen doors, and finally built the bedframe. Gintoki had never done so much home repair before and he was pleased with himself for sticking with it even if it meant he was unable to do any odd jobs.

"Gintoki!" called Katsura from the _genkan_. "Gintoki are you home?"

"In the bedroom, Zura!" replied Gintoki as he moved to the other side of the bedframe to screw it down. Shinpachi handed him a small pile of screws and went over to the other side to make sure nothing happened.

Katsura entered the room, his "pet duck" Elizabeth dutifully behind him with a sign that read, _'Good afternoon!'_

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," said Katsura as he surveyed the sight of Gintoki actually doing work with Shinpachi assisting him. "I must say, Gintoki, I never thought to see you actually doing work. Are you building this for you and Leader?"

Gintoki nodded. "I thought we could do with a proper bed now, or at least one that gets us off of the floor. It really hurts your back after awhile."

Katsura nodded. "Yes, it is similar to when we would camp out in the woods near enemy camps, nothing between our backs and the freezing, hard ground except futons that would be better used as blankets than beds. We spent many cold nights huddled together, our bodies pressed against each other for warmth, our—"

"Shut up!" roared Gintoki. "Stop romanticizing that hellish experience, we couldn't look at each other for days after that so don't pretend it was some bonding experience between comrades." He returned to his work. "Anyway, how is Ikumatsu?"

"She's well," replied Katsura as he observed Gintoki working. "I told her about your upcoming wedding and she says she'll cater it for a small fee."

Gintoki looked shocked. "She's practically my sister-in-law! Why would she want to charge Kagura and I for catering our wedding?! She should be offering to do it for free."

"She was going to until I mentioned that two Yato would be in attendance," explained Katsura as he took a screw from a nearby pile and looked at it. "One Yato being the bride and the other her father. Ikumatsu just wants some extra money to make sure she has enough supplies for enough food for everyone."

"I guess I can understand that," grumbled Gintoki. "Since Umibozu's been here, my refrigerator is practically empty until he comes back with armloads of groceries. I figured out what errand was everyday, buying food for the day. I can't complain too much since he's using his own money and being a courteous house guest."

"Except when he's being a cock block," sniggered Shinpachi before Gintoki reached up and pinched his cheeks hard.

"You aren't any better!" snapped Gintoki.

Katsura seemed very concerned by this. "You mean you and Leader have been unable to be together like man and wife since the arrival of your father-in-law and Shinpachi?" He then gave Shinpachi a very ugly look. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Shinpachi, coming between a lovely couple like Gintoki and Leader. Theirs is a love best expressed physically since they both fumble over verbal expressions."

"It's not like I climb between them in bed!" shrieked Shinpachi as he pulled away from Gintoki's grip, very horrified by the turn this conversation had taken.

"Thank Buddha for that," mumbled Gintoki. "And what the hell is this about Kagura and I only being able to tell each other we love each other through sex? I'll have you know we've said it plenty of times."

"Yes but have you said it poetically in front of dozens of people?" asked Katsura wistfully. "Ikumatsu and I both recited poems we had written each other at our wedding, they were so full of love and happiness, the crowd was weeping from how beautiful they were."

Gintoki rolled his eyes. "The crowd was weeping because you weren't letting them eat until after you finished. You and she were reading those stupid poems when we were supposed to be eating."

"I remember your wedding," said Shinpachi, rubbing his cheeks. "It was the day before I went into my room because of Otsu's marriage."

"And the day Gintoki and Leader consummated their relationship," said Katsura knowingly and Gintoki burned a bright red color.

Shinpachi looked stunned at his best friend. "Is that why you and Kagura didn't answer my calls?! I thought you two had gone into mourning too!" Then he looked at Katsura. "And how do you know about any of this?"

"Because Gintoki came to me later and asked me if I high-fived Buddha as many times as he did that night," replied Katsura with a shrug as if he were not speaking about something inappropriate. "I was quite happy to hear that he and Leader had finally been intimate."

"Why are we discussing my sex life?" demanded Gintoki angrily. "Zura, why are you actually here? It can't be to discuss whether or not Kagura and I have made the beast with two backs recently."

"It's not Zura it's Katsura," replied Katsura with a nod. "And I didn't come here to discuss that, although I'm not completely against it."

"Pervert," muttered Shinpachi and Gintoki.

Katsura did not seem to hear them. "Anyway, I came to tell you that my sources have found more Amantos gathering in secret meetings all over Edo. They have yet to find out what they're discussing but I have a feeling they're thinking of starting up a rebellion against us humans."

Gintoki could not help but roll his eyes. "You think that every time you see a gathering of three or more Amantos, and you've almost gotten yourself arrested on more than one occasion for attacking them."

"Gintoki's right, Katsura," said Shinpachi, adjusting his glasses. "You do tend to jump the gun when it comes to Amanto gatherings. Remember that Christmas party you crashed and destroyed because your sources said it was going to be an attempt to overthrow the Shogun?"

The longhaired samurai hardly seemed perturbed by this. "Those were just false leads given to my men, a means of diverting us from the true meetings."

"And apparently they worked," said Gintoki under his breath, Shinpachi stifling a laugh.

"This time my sources are very certain that trouble is brewing with the Amantos," pressed Katsura. "I'm going to start preparing my students for war, and I'll ask Kondo to do the same with the Shinsengumi."

A sly grin crept across Gintoki's face. "Well then, Shinpachi, this sounds like the perfect time for you to join the Shinsengumi. I'm sure you'll really enjoy preparing for war."

Katsura's olive brown eyes lit up. "You're joining the Shinsengumi, Shinpachi?"

Shinpachi looked from the perm-headed samurai to the longhaired one, confused as to how he suddenly got wrapped up in this mess. "No-I-I mean-damn you, Gintoki!"

"He could be an inside man for you, Zura," said Gintoki suavely. "You might be on friendlier terms with the Shinsengumi but you don't have their confidence, so young Shinpachi here could be your way of getting information only those _bakas_ know."

Katsura nodded happily. "It's not Zura, it's Katsura and yes! Shinpachi, you would be an excellent patsy!"

"Why am I the patsy?!" exclaimed Shinpachi, stomping his foot. "Why am I always the freaking patsy?!"

Again, Katsura did not seem to notice any outburst. "You could bring me all sorts of information once you gained entry into the inner ranks of the Shinsengumi and with Kondo as your brother-in-law, you would know only things people at the top would! This is a great opportunity."

"I'm so glad it works out for you," said Shinpachi sarcastically.

"So am I," replied Katsura, Elizabeth shaking her head. The duck then tapped something against Katsura's shoulder. "Oh right, thank you, Elizabeth. Shinpachi, Kondo asked me to bring this letter to you, it's from your friend Kirara."

Gintoki watched with great amusement as Shinpachi went from looking outraged to looking skittish as he approached to take the letter from Katsura, he did not tear into it immediately like Gintoki expected.

"I don't think she sent you a bomb," teased Gintoki when he noticed the way Shinpachi was holding the letter. "You and she were still in contact during your exile right?"

Shinpachi nodded. "We were but after I got out I forgot to send her a letter, and now that she's sent one it can only mean that she doesn't want to see me anymore."

Gintoki was on his feet at once and snatched the letter away from his friend. "Some Shinsengumi officer you are, you can't even keep a personal letter safe. How do you expect to defend Edo from Katsura's imaginary Amanto plots?"

Shinpachi lunged for the letter but Gintoki easily stepped out of his way and tore open the letter as Shinpachi looked up helplessly from the floor.

" _Dear Shinpachi,_ " read Gintoki in a falsetto voice, " _I am so angry with you I could scream! You ignored me and now I've decided to write to someone else. He's better looking than you are and knows how to treat a lady, plus he doesn't have a bothersome sister complex. You are scum and I hope Tsu Tarakado has triplets next!_ "

Shinpachi looked on the verge of tears, at least until Gintoki started laughing, then his tears dried almost instantly and he was ready to kill.

"You _baka_ ," laughed Gintoki, his hands on his knees to keep himself steady as he laughed himself silly. "You actually thought she'd say something like that? Damn you must have been feeling really guilty then." He casually dropped the letter on the floor in front of his face.

"I hate you," grumbled Shinpachi as he read the letter, relief flooding his face. "She's coming to visit in a few days!" He scanned the letter for a few moments. "She said she's missed me and wants to make sure I'm doing alright. Kirara doesn't hate me!"

The older samurai seemed pleased with the outcome, though one of them would never admit it out loud.

"That's excellent news, Shinpachi," said Katsura as he turned to leave. "Oh and just to warn you, don't put down 'writing Kirara' as an interest when you fill out your Shinsengumi paperwork."

Shinpachi was confused. "Why not?"

"Because they'll use it against you in the deprivation training," replied Katsura and Shinpachi fainted as Gintoki roared with laughter.

* * *

When Kagura arrived home that evening with Sadaharu, she was surprised to see her father sitting outside of the house, his bags of groceries beside him.

"Papi, what's wrong?" she asked, looking down at her father, the evening light reflecting off of his bald head.

Umibozu looked up, a stern expression. "The Punk was doing house repairs today, and I really don't feel like falling through the floor or a wall."

Kagura bit back a sigh. "Papi, I don't think Gintoki would put time into something only for it to fall apart in his face. You should have a little more faith in him."

"I will once he actually does something remarkable," said Umibozu, then he looked at the groceries. "Here, take these inside, I'm sure you and the Punk are hungry. Just bring me my dinner out here when you get the chance."

"Papi, are you sure you won't come inside?" implored Kagura as she gathered up the grocery bags.

Umibozu nodded. "I don't trust him, I'm sure he's bobby trapped the place so I'll walk in and be thrown out or something like that."

Kagura rolled her eyes and headed inside, almost expecting a trap after thinking about it for a moment, in Gintoki's twisted mind that would be the only plausible way of getting rid of her father long enough so they could have some privacy. She looked around the _genkan_ and was relieved when nothing sprang out of the floor or dropped from the ceiling.

"Kagura, is that you?" called Gintoki, sounding like he was in the bedroom.

"Yes," replied Kagura as she took the grocery bags into the kitchen, shoving them all in the refrigerator, she could sort through them later. She headed to the bedroom and was stunned to see a beautiful bed between the two windows. Gintoki appeared to be applying the finishing touches, mostly their pillows and smoothing out the blankets.

"What do you think?" he asked when he saw her staring.

"I think it's amazing," she said as she walked over and sat down on the end, fully expecting it to crack. "Looks like it can hold a Yato, or at least her ass."

Gintoki grinned as he joined her on the bed. "Lie down and see if it can hold all of her."

Kagura giggled as she lay down, rolling around a little to see if it could take some punishment. "Seems sturdy enough, I don't think my foot will go through it unless I kick as hard as I possibly can."

"Please don't do that," groaned Gintoki as he pulled her over to him, wrapping his arms snugly around her. "I just finished my most labor intensive day ever and now all I want to do is enjoy your cooking, please don't make me work that hard twice in one day."

"You're such a man-child," sighed Kagura as she tried to push away from him only for him to hold her fast. "You really do have the soul of a boy."

"And you're the one who's marrying me," teased Gintoki. "What does that say about you, you cougar?"

"It says I've been far too nice to you, old man," argued Kagura as she tried to wrestle away from him but found herself still being held. "You know, we were in a similar position when I told you that I loved you."

Gintoki smiled. "I remember, you had that horrible nightmare and I crawled in bed with you to help calm you down." He started to card his fingers through her loose tresses. "You told me about it and then asked me how did you know if you loved someone."

Kagura shot up out of his arms. "You heard me ask that?! And you didn't say anything?!"

"What was I supposed to say?" asked Gintoki with a shrug. "I had a feeling I was about to get a love confession out of you and I wasn't about to ruin the moment. What suddenly brought this up? Did you say something to Tae?"

"No," replied Kagura, shaking her head. "Well, I guess, I did. I asked her when she knew she loved Kondo and then she asked me when I loved you. I didn't tell her the truth, I just told her about when I threw the remote through the TV. She didn't buy it but she didn't ask again."

Gintoki nodded. "I see, well when Katsura and Shinpachi were over, we discussed a first time for you and I too."

"Which first time?" asked Kagura, her blue eyes wide with innocence.

"The first time we did it," replied Gintoki and she hit him hard in the knee. "What was that for, woman?! You could have shattered my leg!"

"You don't discuss that kind of stuff with our friends!" she shouted. "And you should be lucky I was feeling generous when I hit you, you deserve more than that for discussing such lewd things with your friends."

"It's what guys do!" shouted Gintoki, the pain in his knee forgotten for the moment. "Just like girls discuss love and all that other crap with their friends."

Kagura huffed and crossed her arms. "Whatever, you still shouldn't say stuff like that."

"Are you two finished arguing yet?" called Umibozu from the _genkan_. "The whole neighborhood can hear you so I would suggest switching topics."

Gintoki and Kagura rolled their eyes.

"Why was he inside sooner?" asked Gintoki.

"He was afraid you booby trapped the place," replied Kagura and Gintoki grinned wickedly.

"The old man's smarter than he looks," he said as he stood up and stretched. "Kagura, you didn't touch the sandwich in the refrigerator did you?"

Kagura shook her head. "Why?"

"No reason," replied Gintoki when suddenly they heard Umibozu yelp in pain.

The two of them ran out to the living room to see Umibozu coming out of the kitchen with a mousetrap stuck to his hand. He glared harshly at Gintoki who was by now rolling on the floor laughing, Kagura joining him. Neither one had any idea what kind of game they had gotten themselves into now.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Finally updated, and contains adult content! There's also a rather risqué scene involving Sa-chan near the end, and I know the scene doesn't necessarily go with the anime but I felt like she needed some proper closure. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Weddings are Hardly Worth the Price of the Headache They Come With**

Gintoki and Kagura groaned from their respective couches, papers strewn across the living room like someone had just grabbed them and threw them in the air carelessly. Actually that was exactly what had happened. The two of them had finally decided to sit down and plan out their wedding but barely an hour into it, they had begun arguing and that escalated to a paper ball war, that Gintoki won and in a fit of rage Kagura picked up the remaining paper and threw it into the air. Then they had started arguing again before finally yielding to the fact they both had a splitting headache as a result of stress, lack of sex, and wedding preparations. Honestly, it would just be easier to live in sin.

From her position on one of the couches, Kagura turned her head and looked at Gintoki through heavily lidded eyes; the pounding headache restricted the amount of light she could handle seeing. He was on his back too, a few pieces of paper on his face, looking about as tired and frustrated as she felt. She could not help but feel a little guilty about his current state, and the guilt had nothing to do with the paper war, though she was not about to let him know that.

"Gin, I'm sorry I threw that piece of paper with the wad of hard gum in it," said Kagura quietly, like she was dying and talking to a dying comrade.

Gintoki nodded, the pieces of paper falling away from his face. "And I'm sorry for saying I'd take the paper out of your bra to use as ammunition."

Kagura scowled. "You _baka_ , you know these are real!"

"I know," sighed Gintoki, rubbing the heel of his palms into his eyes. "Kagura, do you just want to live in sin with me?"

"I thought I already was," replied Kagura with a smirk. "Although we haven't been sinning much lately."

Blood rushed south at her implication, the memory of their last attempt at "sinning" coming to his mind's eye, though in that version he actually got to complete the act. "I'd say we should try again, but with how things have been going lately, we'll just get interrupted again."

Kagura sighed and closed her eyes. "I guess it's started then."

"What's started?" asked Gintoki, wondering what she could be going on about now.

"You're starting to not find me attractive," she replied with a shuddering breath and he wondered if she was going to cry. "I knew this day would come, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."

Gintoki was confused and a little angry, when in the last couple of weeks had he implied that he no longer found her attractive? Had he not tried to initiate sex recently? Getting up from the couch, he made the short distance to hers and planted himself above her, his hands on either side of her head with his legs between hers. "What's wrong with you, _baka_?" he asked, a scowl on his face. "You know I still think you're the sexiest woman in the world."

Kagura nodded before wrapping her arms around him, pulling him down so he was flush against her. "Yes, I know."

"Then quit thinking that way," he admonished gently as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent as if it were the air he needed to live. "What do you say to us going through this wedding planning hell again?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," sighed Kagura, her fingers carding through Gintoki's hair, she reveled in this feeling of having him on top of her even if it did not go any further than this. "Let's go over what's already been taken care of for us: the catering, the honeymoon, and your outfit."

Gintoki nodded as he relaxed in her arms. "We need a place to do it at, a place to eat at, and someone to marry us." He moved so he was no longer completely pressed face first into her neck. "Do you think Tae and Kondo would let us use their new place for both?"

Kagura shrugged. "Maybe, but why do you want to get married there? Why not just get married at the dojo?"

"I didn't think of that," said Gintoki as he considered the idea. "It would certainly cut down on having to invite people since they would most likely hear about it anyway and show up for the free food. And the space is big enough for both the ceremony and reception, not to mention has some pretty decent places to take pictures at." He nuzzled against her. "Do you want to invite the shogun's little sister?"

"Soyo?" asked Kagura and he nodded slightly. "I'll try, but you know she isn't allowed out of the palace much these days." An evil grin spread across her lips. "Besides, it might upset Shinpachi to see an aunt of the man who married his precious pop idol."

Gintoki snickered. "I think you're right, but maybe it'd be for his own good. After all, how is he supposed to move on if he's still stuck on someone he clearly can't have?"

"I'll send her a letter tomorrow," said Kagura. "So now all we have to do is figure out who'll marry us and someone crazy enough to try and take pictures of the event."

"I think Tama should take the pictures," said Gintoki, using his thumb to rub small circles on Kagura's abdomen. "She took some great ones for that scrapbook she gave us, and I'm sure she'll get some good ones of the wedding."

Kagura nodded. "I like that idea. So who'll marry us?"

Gintoki shrugged. "One of those Shinsengumi morons maybe. I think they're ordained to perform weddings and funerals. If not, we'll just do the _saké_ ceremony and call it good."

"Of course you'd want to skip to that part," huffed Kagura as she spun some of his hair around her finger. "And we already have the guest list done, it's just everyone we more or less know. Shinpachi will be your best man and I was thinking of asking either Tsukki or maybe Soyo to be my maid of honor."

"Sounds like a plan," said Gintoki as he moved a hand to hip, stroking it firmly with his thumb. "What's left to take care of?"

"A dress for me," said Kagura with a shrug. "Rings for each other, that crap like flowers and linens that women normally go crazy for."

Gintoki looked up at her and kissed her jaw. "I'm glad you aren't like normal women, Kagura, otherwise you wouldn't be with me at all."

Kagura raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Women are absolutely crazy for you, Gin, I watch them undress you with their eyes every time we go out someplace."

"Yes, but they wouldn't stay too long once they got past my sexy exterior," replied Gintoki smugly. "Some might stay for the fabulous sex and amazing kisses, but most would be turned off by the lack of motivation and some of my more childish habits."

She frowned and crushed him against her body, angry that he would even think about kissing or sleeping with someone that was not her, even if it was all hypothetical. No one ever said it was smart to speak of hypotheticals in front of a Yato woman.

A muffled sentence came from Gintoki and she eased the pressure just enough to make out what he was saying properly.

"Let me go!" he repeated and she relented, allowing him to move and breathe again. Immediately he jumped up, landing on his knees as he took in deep and slightly erratic breaths, he thought for a moment that she was going to kill him. After a few moments of recovery, he glared down at her. "Did you do that because you thought I fantasized about what it would be like to be with someone else?"

Kagura, now propped up on her elbows, blushed and looked away, irritated that he had figured her out so quickly. "And if I did?"

Gintoki frowned again and leaned forward enough that he could flick her forehead. "Then you're a bigger _baka_ than I thought." Then he moved so he was eye level with her without lying back down. "And you obviously don't think that I love you enough to never think even once about another woman."

"Why do you have to say stuff like that?" sighed Kagura softly. "It just makes me want to kiss you."

"So why don't you?" asked Gintoki with a mischievous grin, moving a little to close the distance between their lips.

She then moved a little bit more until they were barely a breath away. "Because someone will walk in here and ruin the moment."

Gintoki completed the act and sealed his lips against Kagura's in a slightly desperate kiss, a groan left his throat before he could stop it and that was enough for her to deepen the kiss. Their tongues danced together, no longer caring about dominance, and Kagura pushed up so they were both on their knees then continued to move until she was straddling Gintoki's lap. For a moment he thought that she was going to initiate a quickie, but when she slid off of his legs, he knew where her mind was going. He just sat there and let her do what she wanted; he was not about to stop her just because he thought someone might walk in on them.

Kagura knelt in front of Gintoki and pushed his _yukuta_ out of the way so she could access the black pants underneath; she made quick work of unfastening his pants, resisting the temptation to just rip the front off completely. Instead she pushed them down, exposing his strawberry boxers that covered his half-hard erection, something she was determined to change. Slowly she stroked him through his boxers, knowing the teasing touch of the fabric would stimulate him enough that he would get more pleasure out of what she was about to do. She heard his breathing quicken and could feel his erection growing hotter and harder as she stroked, smiling wickedly she slipped it out of the front of his boxers.

There was already a clear bead on the tip and she eagerly licked it with her tongue, she felt Gintoki shudder at the contact. Without hesitating she took as much of him as she could in her mouth, her hand on what she could not fit inside. Gintoki must have been feeling extremely pent up, as the moment he was encased in her mouth, he bucked his hips strongly and she had to quickly put her free hand on his hip to keep him from doing it again. When things settled down for a moment, Kagura began to move her mouth and hand in a similar rhythm, her tongue moving up and down his shaft. Barely into the task she heard Gintoki moaning rather lewdly and his hand snaked down to the back of her head, gripping it tightly as he assisted her in picking up speed. Kagura hollowed out her cheeks, proceeding to suck hard and fast in order to get Gintoki to completion before anyone could come barging in; she had only ever done this with him but she knew what he liked and how he liked it, so it would not be too much longer before he was finished.

"Kagura," moaned Gintoki, his head resting against the back of the couch, his hand still on Kagura's head. "I'm—I'm going to—"

That was all the warning she got before the salty essence assaulted her tongue, she swallowed it as quickly as she could, slightly amazed at how much there was and that Gintoki still seemed hard in her mouth. In moments he was finished and she swallowed the last of his seed, mentally reminding herself to use some mouthwash.

"I love you," breathed Gintoki, his legs numb and heart racing as he attempted to regain control of his mind and body again.

"That's the only reason you keep me around," teased Kagura as she righted his clothes. "I'm amazed we didn't get a visitor during that."

Gintoki smirked faintly. "Well, you were doing it fast enough, you didn't give them the opportunity."

Kagura stood up and leaned over him, her hands on the back of the couch on either side of his head. "I'll go slower when we actually have the time."

"I'm not sure what I'd do with you if I had even if we had the time," sighed Gintoki, looking into her shining blue eyes.

"I'm confident you'll think of something," she said before pecking his lips and then headed to the washroom.

Gintoki watched her walk away, hips swaying seductively beneath her red dress, her pale skin looked so inviting and in need of fresh bruises and hickeys, long legs just begging to be wrapped around him somewhere. On second thought, he knew exactly what he would do with her if they had a whole hour to themselves, and none of it was particularly quiet or clean.

"Gintoki! Kagura!" came a voice and he was suddenly very glad that Kagura had finished him quickly.

"In the living room, Shinpachi," he called back, glancing down at his crotch to make sure there was no evidence of what had transpired just moments ago. He was glad that Kagura was so efficient in cleaning up after herself.

"Are you and Kagura still planning your wedding?" asked Shinpachi as he sat down across from Gintoki. "She mentioned you would be working on planning the other day."

Gintoki shrugged. "We've gotten most of it planned out, most of the big things anyway, we're still considering whether or not to worry about the little things like flowers and napkins."

Shinpachi nodded. "I remember when Tae was planning her wedding, she brawled with the florist because they ran out of yellow roses. I hope Kagura doesn't do something similar."

"I don't think we're going to bother with flowers," said Gintoki as he picked his nose. "The whole reason people even go to weddings is to get a free meal and some quality booze, they couldn't care less about what color the napkins are or the pattern on the china. Besides, marriage is meant to legitimize two people living together and having sex regularly, so it shouldn't be dressed up much."

"It's a wonder you're getting married at all," grumbled Shinpachi. "Where's Kagura?"

Gintoki's eyes went around the room. "I think she's in the bathroom, she should be out in a few minutes."

"I need to straighten myself up once she's done in there," said Shinpachi, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with the hem of his sleeve. "I don't want to pick up Kirara looking like this."

"Then I'd recommend plastic surgery," teased Gintoki and Shinpachi rolled his eyes just as Kagura entered the room. "Looks like the crapper's free."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "When we're married, the first thing I'm going to do is correct your foul language."

"Why are you waiting until then?" asked Shinpachi curiously.

"Because right now I don't have any control over him," replied Kagura simply as she plopped down on the couch beside Gintoki and began picking her nose as well.

Shinpachi rolled his eyes and headed to the bathroom, muttering about how they both have habits that need to be changed.

Moments after Shinpachi went into the bathroom, there was a loud noise, similar to that of an air horn, startling both Kagura and Gintoki to the point they fell off of the couch in a heap. They looked at each other and pulled apart quickly, both dashing towards where they heard the sound coming from, a little concerned that Shinpachi might have been ambushed by some annoying sports fan with a penchant for noisemakers.

"Shinpachi!" shouted Gintoki as he opened the door, only to see Shinpachi face first on the floor, bare ass in the air. "Oh no! He's been assassinated!"

Kagura looked over Gintoki's shoulder. "What a heartless bastard of an assassin, killing a man when he's on the toilet. Whomever he is, he's ruthless."

"Yes," said Gintoki, stroking his chin. "We'll have to use all our resources to deal with this killer if we're to avenge Shinpachi's death."

Suddenly Shinpachi stirred and they both jumped, watching intently as he continued to move around just a little bit at a time until he was able to turn his head to look at them. He looked as if someone had scared him to death.

"He's alive!" cried Kagura happily. "The assassin wasn't that skilled after all."

"Help me," croaked Shinpachi and Gintoki went over to him, helping him back onto his feet. Shinpachi's pants fell down the rest of the way; luckily his shirt hid most of his pelvic region.

"Shinpachi, put on your pants," ordered Gintoki sternly. "I don't need you flashing my innocent wife your hex socket screwdriver."

"Why? Afraid she might see one bigger than yours?" snapped Shinpachi as he tugged his pants back up. "And which one of you morons attached the air horn on the toilet seat?!"

Gintoki and Kagura shared a confused look.

"It wasn't us, Shinpachi," replied Kagura with a shrug, and then she had a thought. "Um, Gintoki, you don't think that maybe Papi did that as a prank for you? To get back at you for the mouse trap in the sandwich."

"That's always a possibility," said Gintoki slowly. "To think _Hage_ would actually come up with a devious prank like that is commendable, I think I might enjoy having him as my father-in-law now."

Kagura nodded enthusiastically. "It was a really good one!"

Shinpachi glowered at the two of them. "What's so freaking good about it?! That prank nearly killed me!"

Gintoki and Kagura looked at each other. "That's exactly why it's good."

* * *

Once Shinpachi had recovered from his ordeal, the three of them headed out towards the docks, Kagura on Sadaharu's back and Gintoki and Shinpachi on Gintoki's scooter. Shinpachi was irritating Gintoki more and more with each passing second as he began giving Gintoki directions for a supposedly faster route to the dock where the ship Kirara and her sister were sailing in would be located. It took all of Gintoki's patience not to punch him hard in the face.

When they finally arrived, the ship was not even in port, so they loitered about on the dock; well, Kagura and Gintoki did, Shinpachi was too busy pacing the length of the dock at a quick pace. His two friends just sat on some crates and watched him pace back and forth, their eyes sliding like they were watching an intense tennis match.

"Do you think he'll actually make a trench?" asked Kagura as she stroked Sadaharu's shoulder.

Gintoki shrugged. "Doubtful, the second she shows up he'll stop pacing and so will the progress on the trench." He glanced over at her. "Do you really not care about that little stuff involved in a wedding? Flowers and all that?"

Kagura thought for a moment. "I really don't see the need to waste money on flowers or anything else that could be destroyed in a fight. As far as I'm concerned, a wedding reception only needs ample amounts of food and some alcohol. I don't think any of our friends are going to walk away from the wedding talking about how pretty the centerpieces were or how fine the silver forks were."

"You've always been a girl of simple tastes," said Gintoki as he reached over and took her hand loosely in his.

"Shinpachi looks like he's about to have another heart attack," commented Okita as he approached, Hijikata not too far behind him.

Gintoki and Kagura turned to look at the Shinsengumi officers.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Kagura, noticing a chain in Okita's pocket.

"Urara wrote me," replied Okita casually. "She told me she and her sister were coming for a visit so I decided to meet her here. Hijikata's with me because we're supposed to be on patrol."

"You're terrible police officers," mumbled Kagura and Gintoki smirked.

"What have the two love birds been up to?" asked Hijikata as he pulled out a cigarette and his mayonnaise themed lighter.

"Planning our wedding," replied Gintoki as he played with the ring on Kagura's finger. "We've decided to have it at Kondo's dojo, if they'll let us. You two knuckleheads are invited too."

Hijikata rolled his eyes. "That's not a very nice way of addressing two officers of the law, perm head. Are you inviting that courtesan from Yoshiwara as well?"

Kagura eyed Hijikata knowingly. "You mean Tsukuyo, the Moon of Yoshiwara? Yes, we're inviting her to the wedding, as well as Seita and Hinowa. Why do you ask, Hijikata?"

"That's classified information," snapped Hijikata quickly, although he could not hide the tinge of pink in his cheeks. "Shinpachi!"

Shinpachi halted his nervous pacing and looked at Hijikata, confused as to why he was yelling at him in the first place. "Yes, Hijikata?"

"I wanted to tell you that you've been formally accepted into the Shinsengumi training camp," replied Hijikata calmly, as if he had not just had an outburst moments ago. "We reviewed the application you sent in a few days ago and I have to say, I was impressed with the essay you included about why you wanted to be a Shinsengumi officer."

Gintoki snickered. "Did he say it was because we thought he was being a cock block?"

Hijikata took a drag of his cigarette. "No, he wrote about wanting to protect his family; his sister, his unborn nephew, Kondo, the two of you. It was a very moving essay and I expect your level of effort in your training to match the level of effort you put into that essay, Shinpachi."

Shinpachi looked humble and proud at the same time, his expression finally settling on contentedness. "Thank you, Hijikata," he said as he bowed. "I'll do my best to uphold the honor of the Shinsengumi as you and Okita have done."

Okita smirked. "You've at least gone up a step in the world compared to Boss and China, Four Eyes, soon you'll be able to lord the fact you have money over them."

Kagura and Gintoki glowered at Okita who was still smirking, not even the least bit bothered by the fact he had a Yato and a trained samurai warrior plotting the many ways they could hurt and humiliate him without killing him.

"The boat!" shouted Shinpachi, his eyes shining as he watched it come into port. "They're here! She's here!"

The look of sheer bliss on Shinpachi's eager face was enough to ease the idea of vengeance from Gintoki and Kagura's minds; that could wait until later.

They all watched at the boat finished docking and the passengers began coming off of the boat, Shinpachi resorting to climbing up on the crates the others had been sitting on in order to spot Kirara and Urara easier. He stood up there for a few minutes when he saw the unmistakable Indian red of Urara's hair and the shining maroon brown of Kirara's hair in the afternoon sun.

"Kirara!" shouted Shinpachi and the patch of maroon hair began moving towards his position, the other head of hair following closely behind. He watched them weave in between the people in the crowd until they were finally where they were waiting, and he jumped down from the crate, rushing over to the girl he had been waiting to see for so long.

"Shinpachi!" exclaimed Kirara when she saw him and they ran to embrace. "It's so good to see you, Shinpachi, I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," said Shinpachi as he held her tightly in his arms. "I was starting to think your ship was never going to get here."

Kirara giggled as they pulled away. "I was thinking the same thing."

"They're so sweet," gushed Kagura quietly. "I like her much better than that one with the cat ears; no one will think she's cuter than me."

Gintoki playfully hit her on the top of her head. "Sometimes I wish you were a bit humbler than you are, Kagura; pride is an unbecoming quality in a sadist's wife."

Kagura pinched his arm. "I'm not about to become some mousy, submissive wife that doesn't know how to defend herself and gets off on being yelled at; I'm not that ninja stalker of yours."

The two of them continued to trade barbs while Kirara and Shinpachi watched on, both of them smiling at the scene; all while Okita was fastening the chain on Urara's collar and Hijikata was looking through his phone.

"They make quite the couple," said Kirara as she took Shinpachi's hand. "I wonder when they're going to start dating."

Shinpachi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I meant to tell you, they're getting married in a couple of weeks. You and Urara are invited of course; I know they wouldn't mind you being there."

Kirara squeezed his hand affectionately. "I'm so happy to hear that they're going to be married. I had a feeling the first time I met them that they were meant for each other, the age difference be damned."

"I don't think I've ever heard you curse, Kirara," said Shinpachi as they started walking getting ready to leave, Kagura and Gintoki still bickering from their respective modes of transportation. "I wonder if that's becoming of the girlfriend of a Shinsengumi officer?"

"You joined the Shinsengumi?!" exclaimed Kirara excitedly. "That's amazing, Shinpachi, I'm so happy for you!"

Shinpachi blushed as he assisted Kiara in getting on Sadaharu's back, Kagura helping her get a proper seat, and he patted her leg. "See you back at the Yorozuya, Kirara, I'll take your luggage there if you don't mind."

Kirara shook her head. "I don't mind at all, I just hope Urara keeps herself out of trouble with Okita. She's been . . . eager to see him."

They glanced at her younger sister whom was dutifully at Okita's side, the chain to her collar wrapped around his fist, the sadist light in his eye that was normally muted was now shining like a great fire.

"See you later!" said Kagura as she steered Sadaharu towards the street.

Gintoki shook his head as he put on his helmet, handing Shinpachi his before getting on the scooter. "That woman," he sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother."

Shinpachi patted his shoulder as he picked up Kirara's suitcase. "There's a reason, Gintoki, it's because you love her." He glanced at Hijikata, Okita, and Urara as they headed to the police car glad that she was at least going someplace safe. "And anyway, you two have always argued, it's not going to magically stop because you're getting married."

"When the hell did you get so damn knowledgeable?" asked Gintoki as Shinpachi got on the back of the scooter, Kirara's suitcase in his lap.

"The magazines at the mental institution," replied Shinpachi simply as they drove away.

* * *

When they arrived back at the Yorozuya, they heard a woman screaming and they both jumped off the barely parked scooter and dashed up the stairs as fast as they could. Gintoki threw open the door and scanned the room for any indication as to who had screamed or what had happened. He saw the bedroom door ajar and hurried to it, almost going blind when he saw what was waiting for him on the other side.

"Gintoki!" cried Sarutobi. "I'm so glad you're here, some creepy old man was leering at me!"

For a moment he was unable to comprehend anything he was so angry, Sarutobi was lying on his and Kagura's bed, start naked with sex toys littered about. Then he calmed himself down enough that he saw Umibozu in a fetal position on the floor, looking as if he had actually gone blind.

"Shinpachi, stay out of here if you want to keep your innocence," said Gintoki sternly as he barred the way for his friend to see into the room. "And you, were you the one who screamed?"

Sarutobi shook her head. "No, that was the old man. I've never heard a man scream like that before."

Gintoki could feel a vein throbbing in his head but he had to handle this as he usually did, otherwise he might end up getting blood all over the place; stalking him and making obscene remarks were one thing, but lying on the bed he intended to share with his wife naked, with sex toys everywhere was a completely different level of violation and creepiness.

"Why don't you join me?" cooed Sarutobi as she reached out for him. "I'm sure I could ease the tension you've been feeling lately, your child bride obviously isn't up to the task."

"Get out of my house," said Gintoki in between several deep breaths.

Sarutobi looked a little confused. "What was that?"

"Get out of my house!" roared Gintoki, his eyes blazing with fury. "I've put up with a lot from you over the years but this is too far. I built that bed for Kagura and I, something I wanted to give her as a sign of our new life together and you completely defiled it!"

"I did this for you!" argued Sarutobi fiercely. "I wanted to show you that I'm ten times the woman she'll ever be and save you from making a terrible mistake."

Before Gintoki could reply, he found himself being pushed aside as a head of vermillion hair came into view from under his arm.

"So this is why Shinpachi came out and tried to stall us," said Kagura calmly as she took in the sight of Sarutobi's brazen display. "I have to say I'm disappointed in you Sa-chan."

Sarutobi looked incredibly surprised by Kagura's statement, she had been expecting a glorious confrontation that would lead to a battle for Gintoki's heart. "What do you mean?"

"You want Gintoki to be happy, right?" asked Kagura, showing more restraint than Gintoki would have thought in this situation. "And yet here you are trying to sabotage his happiness just because it isn't with you. That's incredibly selfish, Sa-chan."

"I love him more than you do!" argued Sarutobi, wanting to fight instead of listen to reason. "I've been in love with him far longer than you have."

Kagura shook her head. "No, you've been obsessed with him, not in love with him. There's a big difference, and for your sake I would have hoped you'd have realized that. This obsession is clearly making you miserable if you're going to such lengths as breaking into our home and putting yourself on display like a piece of cooked pork."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" asked Sarutobi quietly, now looking away from Kagura. "I haven't been supportive of your relationship and have been trying to sabotage it from the beginning."

"I know," replied Kagura as she went over to the closet and pulled out a robe that she tossed to Sarutobi. "But I've learned that the people who seem the happiest are actually the ones in most need of help, and that their joyful cries are often loud in order to cover up the sounds of their crying heart." She helped Sarutobi off of the bed and gathered up the toys by bundling them up in the blanket, then handing it to the ninja. "I want to help you find happiness, Sa-chan, but first you have to realize what and who makes you happy first. And you have to be realistic, because Gintoki isn't going to be with you now or ever."

Sarutobi nodded wordlessly and headed towards the door with her head hung. Kagura then went over and hugged her tightly.

"When you've learned what makes you happy, let me know," she said and released the other woman who continued walking out of the room.

Gintoki was stunned as he watched Sarutobi head out of the house, she had never left so willingly or so quietly. It was slightly unnerving if he was being honest.

"Well, that was interesting," said Kagura as she went over to check on her father whom had fallen asleep since collapsing on the floor. "Stupid old man, he probably thought she was me and ran in here trying to interrupt us."

"You might be right," said Gintoki as he stared at the bed, wondering if he could burn it without setting the whole house on fire. "You were incredible, Kagura, I thought you were going to lose it when you saw her."

Kagura smirked as she went over to him. "And you looked ready to kill her, so I guess we switched reactions. I just thought about what you would have said to someone in that situation and that's where that speech came from."

Gintoki shook his head as they headed into the living room where Kirara and Shinpachi were sitting, their hands laced together.

"We saw Sa-chan leave," said Shinpachi slowly, wondering which one of them was the angriest. "I'm assuming it went well?"

"A good assumption," said Kagura as she sat down. "I spoke with her and I think she's going to turn over a new leaf, or she might just be thinking up new ways to win Gin's heart."

"Not likely," said Gintoki as he sat at his desk, kicking his feet up on the surface as he leaned back in his chair. "We're going to need a new blanket, and a new mattress, and maybe a new bed."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "We can afford maybe the blanket but the bed has to stay. Besides, I wouldn't want proof that you can actually work being tossed out in the rubbish pile."

Gintoki smirked proudly. "I guess it can stay, for now at least. Do you think your father's going to be alright?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine in a couple of hours," replied Kagura as she petted on Sadaharu. "So Kirara, are you staying with Shinpachi and his family while you're visiting?"

Kirara nodded. "Yes, his sister was very sweet to offer my sister and I a room at their new house. Oh, I forgot to congratulate you on your engagement and upcoming wedding, I'm so happy for the two of you. I always thought you made a great team."

Kagura and Gintoki beamed at each other.

"That we do," said Gintoki, winking at his fiancée. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Did you remember to buy something?" asked Kagura as she headed for the kitchen.

"That's not my job, that's yours!" called Gintoki as the two on the couch rolled their eyes playfully.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So, I don't really have any good explanation for why I haven't updated in a while, and I know this is a short chapter but I thought it would be a good one to have. I hope you aren't too disappointed! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **It's Never Too Late to Have a Father, Even if He Isn't Yours**

It was just before dawn when a small tapping sound on his bedroom door roused Gintoki from his unusually peaceful slumber. He pulled his head up from the pillow and glared blearily at the door, seeing the faintest outline of a shadow on the paper of the door. It did not appear to be Shinpachi or Katsura, and Kagura was asleep beside him, so that left many possibilities and none of them were enjoyable.

Slowly he reached for his bokutō, gripping the handle tightly in his hand as he eased himself out of bed, doing his best not to disturb Kagura. When he managed to put his feet on the floor, he heard her stir.

"Gin?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep and confusion.

Gintoki turned back and saw her blue eyes on him; her head raised slightly from her pillow. "Go back to sleep, Kagura." He reached with his free hand and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. "Everything's fine."

Kagura smiled as she nestled further under the blanket, a slight smile on her lips as she drifted back to sleep. Gintoki stared at her sleeping face for a moment, she looked so peaceful just lying there, and he would do just about anything to ensure that she always slept with that expression. He knew all too well the faces made by people who were on edge, waiting for the next assault or something that would disrupt the night. It was a relief to see something so different.

He made his way to the door, taking careful and measured steps until he was a few feet away from the door. Gintoki raised his bokutō and pressed the very tip of it on the crack between the door and where it met the wall, twisting it just enough to create the slightest opening.

"Gintoki, if that's you, come out and don't wake Kagura," said a quiet voice Gintoki immediately recognized as Umibozu.

Gintoki lowered his weapon and with a fleeting glance to his sleeping bride-to-be to make sure she was still asleep, he slipped through the door. Sure enough, Umibozu was standing on the other side, already dressed in his monster hunting gear and Gintoki thought that he was heading out to battle something and was ensuring someone at least knew. He shook that thought almost after it formed in his mind, after all, would he not tell his daughter this rather than her fiancé?

"What do you want?" asked Gintoki in a whisper. "It's not even an hour Napoleon would find acceptable."

Umibozu smirked. "I get up earlier than this to buy you kids food for breakfast. Now change into something respectable, we need to talk."

Gintoki managed not to roll his eyes as he headed into the next room, Kagura's old place, to find something to wear in the closet that used to be her bed. He opened the closet door and masterfully extracted an outfit without waking the massive mountain of fur asleep in the closet. He quickly changed out of his pajamas and hurried back to the living room, securing his wooden sword to his belt as a precaution.

"Hurry up, punk, I haven't got all day to wait on you," called Umibozu in a loud whisper from the front door, and Gintoki hustled over, slipping on his black boots just as the monster hunter stepped outside into the crisp morning air.

"What's this about, old man?" asked Gintoki as he closed the door behind him, glad that he remembered to grab his scarf on the way out the door and to pull up the other sleeve of his yukata. It was unseasonably cold this morning, and he made a mental note to not plan his wedding ceremony for first thing in the morning, with this at the top of the list for reasons.

"I don't know you very well," said Umibozu as he began walking down the wooden stairs, the white-haired samurai tailing behind him. "And seeing as how you're marrying my daughter, I thought it was about time I learned a thing or two about you. Wouldn't you agree?"

Gintoki nodded as they headed down the deserted street, illuminated only by a few streetlamps; the sun was still a good two hours from rising. "As a father, it's your responsibility to know about the person you're about to call son."

Umibozu smirked. "I'm glad you understand. Now, tell me Gintoki, where are you from? What did your parents do for a living?"

Gintoki had expected this line of questioning, that much was made evident by Umibozu's previous explanation for this walk, but that did not mean he was going to have full or satisfying answers. "I lived in what used to be Sakai, where many samurai swords were forged before the war. My parents . . . I'm not entirely sure what they did . . . I was orphaned before I turned three."

"I see," said Umibozu softly, glancing at the man at his side. If he was honest, the Yato had expected to hear some grand tale about him being a prince or the son of a wealthy family that simply got bored one day and wandered off. Maybe that was more wishful thinking than anything because he could not deal with another person in his life having a sad life story. It was all he ever seemed to find anymore. "How long were you alone?"

Gintoki shrugged. "I was never alone, I lived in an orphanage full of screaming children, all vying for a new family whenever a childless couple entered the room. It was sad."

Umibozu took that to mean Gintoki tried to get a new family but had been rejected; the thought of a small, perm-headed child with Boudreaux eyes trying to convince someone to like him enough to adopt him was a sad image. "Were you eventually adopted?"

"No," replied Gintoki, his tone held a small amount of bitterness and regret.

"Then how did you get out?" he asked curiously.

Gintoki sighed heavily; he greatly detested remembering his past and frequently avoided the topic or made something up. In this instance, he could not do either. "Ours was one of the first towns attacked when the war started; the Amanto probably wanted to stem the flow of weapons early on. Anyway, we evacuated, but in the commotion, I was separated from the others, so I decided to hide and wait for an opportunity to leave. Coincidentally, I had a great spot for watching the battle play out. Our side lost, of course. When it was over, I went back and began searching the fallen soldiers, looking for anything that might be useful. I was a kid, maybe seven then, but I still knew I needed supplies before leaving the village. I found a sword and some food, then I left."

"What did you do after that?" asked Umibozu, hanging onto his every word like they were droplets of precious water in the desert.

"Traveled mostly," replied Gintoki as he looked at the dark sky overhead, it reminded him of the way the sky seemed to darken whenever a battle took place, even if it was bright out. "I followed the armies and after every battle, scavenged for food and supplies. I did this for about two years before my teacher found me." Gintoki smirked. "Apparently I was called the Corpse-Eating Demon by villagers, or so my teacher said when he found me."

Umibozu smirked as well. He could understand why outsiders would call the boy a demon. He certainly looked the part even now. "Who was your teacher?"

"Shouyou Yoshida," said Gintoki, his voice soft as he spoke about the only adult he ever knew who cared for him. "He gave me his sword and an offer I would have been stupid to refuse. I accepted both, and he took me to his school, where I learned how to be a samurai." He lightly touched the hilt of his wooden sword. "Eventually, my friends and I were forced to pick a side in the Joui War."

Umibozu stood just a little straighter. Kagura told him once in a letter that Gintoki was in a war, she did not go into detail at the time, but he had hoped it was a different war on some distant planet. To hear that his future son-in-law fought against the Amanto, perhaps even members of his species, made him bristle just slightly.

"It wasn't by choice," continued Gintoki as if sensing the other man's apprehension. "Our teacher was kidnapped by the Amanto, so we fought on the opposing side to try and get him back. That ended in disaster." Gintoki looked down at the ground in front of him as he walked, picturing his teacher kneeling at his feet. The sword hilt in his hand shook. "I had to kill my teacher to safeguard my friends, his students. He made me promise to protect them, so I did."

'This boy carries the sins and memories of an old man,' thought Umibozu sadly as he looked at Gintoki. 'He shouldn't have seen any of that; he shouldn't have been forced into that position.'

"I don't know what Kagura's told you," said Gintoki, his gaze back at the sky, a slight grin on his lips. "She never lets me read any of the letters she writes you, but she promises it only contains good things." He chuckled warmly. "That girl. I'm lucky to have her."

"You are," agreed Umibozu with a slight grin. "And she's just as lucky to have you, Gintoki."

The man in question turned to the other and cocked a silver eyebrow. "What are you talking about? You weren't exactly fond of me when Kagura told you about us."

Umibozu nodded. "You're right; I wasn't. I have to admit, I almost came to Earth the moment I read her letter to try and pry you two apart, but I stayed put. Despite what everyone else surely thinks, I couldn't imagine my daughter with a better man. My little girl has been through a great deal, and it allows my heart to rest easy knowing she's with you."

"Yeah, growing up with Kamui couldn't have been easy," said Gintoki with a slight snort and to his surprise Umibozu shook his head.

"Kamui was a great older brother to Kagura, or at least that's what my wife said," he explained, his voice dripping with melancholy. "Kouka, my wife, was bedridden almost the moment she set foot on my homeworld; and it only became worse after Kagura was born." He looked at the other man with sadness in his dark eyes. "Do you remember that night Kagura made us dinner and she explained it was like when her mother was still alive?"

Gintoki nodded, recalling the night fondly.

"Well, that was a lie," admitted the monster hunter. "Kouka was never well enough to make dinner, she was never strong enough to get out of bed, and I was gone more often than I was home. Kamui or one of the other families nearby would make the meals for Kagura and Kouka."

Gintoki was taken aback. Kagura had lied? Why? And why about something so simple as a dinner ritual? "Where did you go?" he asked, suddenly curious. "Were you off getting food like you do here?"

"No," replied Umibozu, some bitterness in his voice now. "I was off searching the galaxy for a cure for my wife's illness. I was selfish and stole the only blossom from a dying planet; as a result, the blossom began to fade." He rubbed his eyes to quell a building torrent of tears. "I was incredibly selfish, Gintoki. Kagura's mother was never meant to leave her planet, but I insisted anyway, I wanted to start a family where I was from, and in my vanity, I ensured the death of the one I loved."

"Would going back have cured her?" asked Gintoki quietly, sensing that this was a touchy subject.

Umibozu shrugged. "It's entirely possible. It would have more likely slowed the progress of her illness, and she would have lived longer, at least. Maybe not as healthy as before, but she still would be here."

Gintoki felt sorry for him and understood his grief. He knew if something happened to Kagura, he would go to the ends of the galaxy to save her, even if all he could do was buy her a bit more time. "How did Kamui handle being the man of the house?"

"He did well, I suppose," replied Umibozu with a shrug. "He resented it, I believe, or me. I can't remember anymore. The fight between my son and I was about my being gone all the time. A great deal was said that day, and even now, I don't know why he was angry. We fought the day after his mother's funeral, and that was the last time I saw my son."

Silence hung between them as they continued their walk down the slowly brightening street, tendrils of sunlight cut through the darkness around them. Gintoki wanted to ask more about Kouka and what Kagura went through as a child. It sounded like she had a tough life, maybe even more difficult than his because she had people who loved her, but they always left. He had people who loved him once, and then they stayed gone. The only exception so far was Kagura.

"What happened to Kagura after Kouka died?" asked Gintoki, wanting to know more about the childhood Kagura refused to address. "She hasn't told me much of anything."

"That's to be expected," said Umibozu ruefully. "After Kamui left, I took Kagura to a local midwife's, and she agreed to take care of her. The midwife was a childhood friend of mine and someone I trusted to look after Kagura. I couldn't trust myself, not after what happened with Kamui, so I gave her to someone I thought would do a better job. I can't say for sure that the woman did well with Kagura, after all, she ended up on Earth at the tender age of fourteen and lived with an older man alone."

Gintoki clenched his jaw against any remark. "It doesn't sound like either of us had a great life before we met." He looked at his bokutō and recalled the good sword that used to hang from his waist, which he used to slaughter hundreds of Amanto without regret or hesitation. "I wish I could have done something for Kagura. Maybe if we had met sooner, she wouldn't feel the need to lie about her past."

Umibozu smiled kindly. "And that right there is why I'm happy you're marrying my daughter. You genuinely care about her and want to do right by her, and that's all a father could ever ask of a son-in-law." He then chuckled loudly. "Do you remember when we fought against that plant creature that tried to destroy the tower?"

"Absolutely," said Gintoki with a snigger. "That was when Kagura ate your hair thinking it was her seaweed snack."

"Of course you'd remember that," sighed Umibozu with a slight growl. "What I was getting at was what you called me during the fight."

"Hage?" asked Gintoki, smirking when the other man's cheeks turned dark red.

"No!" snapped Umibozu, starting to regret bringing this up. "You called me 'Dad,' remember, punk?"

Gintoki did remember, in fact, he had gone over that moment many times in the last few months, wondering if Umibozu knew then how things between him and Kagura would develop. Probably not or he would have snatched her away from him at the first opportunity. "I remember," said Gintoki with a wide smile. "It was a joke then, but now it seems almost prophetic. Like I knew from that moment on I would be with Kagura for the rest of my life and would someday have you for a father-in-law."

Umibozu shoved him as gently as he could in the shoulder, even then it through the samurai off balance for a few moments. "You were a punk then, and you still are, Gintoki, but I'm glad Kagura's with you," he said fondly. "I think you two are good for each other. And I'm proud to have you as a member of our family."

The samurai returned the gesture and managed to make the other man stumble slightly. "Glad you think so, Dad. Remember that when Kagura and I make you a grandfather."

"I will," said Umibozu with a smile. "Now, in the spirit of being my new son, I expect my son to work to provide for his family and not just odd jobs that may or may not pay anything. So, I've gone ahead and gotten you an interview."

Gintoki balked at the man. "You did what?!"

"I secured an interview for you," repeated Umibozu calmly. "I was told to bring you over first thing this morning, so here we are."

"I thought this was a little suspicious," said Gintoki, glaring at Umibozu with the intensity of a sun. "Especially when you said you wanted to get to know me better."

"I did want to get to know you better," countered Umibozu sternly. "I thought the walk over could be spent doing just that and it has; I know more about you than I did before and you know more about Kagura than you did. Now, you're going to get a respectable job and be able to care for my daughter more consistently than just doing odd jobs."

Gintoki sighed heavily. "I guess everyone has to grow up eventually." He looked at the sky, glaring harshly. "Damn this author."

"What was that?" asked Umibozu, looking at the sky as well.

"Nothing," said Gintoki dismissively. "So where is this job at?"

"A bakery," replied Umibozu brightly. "Kagura mentioned you could bake incredibly well, and you have a sweet tooth like a child, so I thought it would be a good fit for you. You'd be working as a pastry chef."

Gintoki raised his eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I'm only qualified to be an assistant's assistant, not the man running the show."

There was a mischievous glint in Umibozu's eyes. "I may or may not have fudged a little about your experience. Don't worry; I'm confident that you'll be a fantastic chef."

"Fine, but if it goes south, I'm blaming you," said Gintoki as Umibozu walked ahead of him, heading for a green building with gold-painted trim. The silver-haired man looked at the building and stopped in his tracks. "This place is way too good for a slob like me. They probably require reservations to just stand in the doorway."

Umibozu rolled his eyes and grabbed the front of Gintoki's yukata. "Shut up and move, Son. Your interview is in ten minutes, and it's always good to be a little early. You'll be fine, so quit worrying already."

With a slight groan, Gintoki once again followed Umibozu. He figured this place must be pretty desperate if they were even willing to interview a guy like him.

* * *

Kagura jumped at the sound of cheering, and she was not happy about it. The cheering was loud and obnoxious and guaranteed to irritate an already angry young girl further. She had woken up to find her house completely deserted of all life save for her dog, and her fiancé had not even bothered to leave a note to explain his disappearance. The last time this happened, she and Shinpachi had found him mindlessly working in a bomb factory disguised as a clock factory.

"It's too early to kill anyone," she mumbled as she turned off the gas stove and hurried to the front door, intent on telling off those who dared to interrupt her bad morning with their cheerful demeanor. "I'll just threaten them."

She threw open the screen door and stepped out onto the balcony, her mouth open wide to yell at the morons shouting outside. When she looked down into the street, she realized who was screaming, not that it made it any better, mainly since there was a crowd growing by the second. "What are you idiots doing?" she shouted, glaring at Gintoki and Umibozu. "If you're drunk, go to the snack house like respectable alcoholics."

"We aren't drunk, Kagura," shouted Gintoki as he spun around happily while her father did several backflips in quick succession. "We're celebrating!"

"Celebrating what?" she demanded, her patience wearing thinner and thinner by the second.

"My new full-time job!" announced Gintoki gleefully. "I'm now the head pastry chef at a bakery!"

Kagura's eyes widened to the size of milk saucers. She was not sure how to react to this news, but it seemed like her father and Gintoki had the right idea, so she joyously leaped over the banister in nothing but her robe and slippers and began dancing in the street. Immediately Gintoki grabbed her hands and started spinning with her on the road, the two of them laughing and utterly carefree. This was a massive step for the two of them. They had a house, they were both employed, and they were going to be married in a couple of days. It appeared that their great fortune knew no bounds. Until the day it did.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So, I'm thinking of just ending this story here. I'm not feeling it as much as before and I don't want to leave it hanging. If I get twenty reviews telling me to keep going, I will but only then. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Wedding Bells Sound Suspiciously Like Funeral Bells

The day was finally here. The day they had been planning for weeks was here and Gintoki was incredibly eager to get it over with and finally call Kagura his wife. Last night he spent the first night in a very long time without Kagura by his side and he hated every minute of it. Normally he fell asleep listening to her breathing and with some part of his body touching hers, it did the trick every time and now he could hardly remember how he fell asleep those nights before he welcomed her into his bed. Now he was regretting giving in to Tae's demand that Kagura spend the night at her house so they would not see each other before the ceremony. It was an irritating Western tradition but he was not about to tell Tae that, especially when she looked ready to pop at any second.

Gintoki sat up and yawned as he ran a hand through his silver curls; he did not sleep well and was already starting to feel the effects. It slightly amused him how soft he had gotten over the years. Sleep meant almost nothing to him during the war, it was more of an escape than a necessity but now he would gladly trade in his sword for an extra hour. There was a hint of irony in that thought, his friends used to say that he was the heaviest sleeper of the four of them. He just slept heavier because he wanted to stay in his dreams longer.

"Gintoki, are you up?" asked Shinpachi on the other side of the door. He and a few others came over last night to celebrate his final night of freedom with an extra large bottle of sake and a few boxes of takeout from Katsura's wife's place. Needless to say, it was probably wise that they did not wander beyond the door of his house, otherwise he might have a repeat of that one time when every woman he knew claimed they had slept together. Gintoki shuddered at the memory.

"Yeah, I'm up," said Gintoki with another yawn. "Are there any other survivors?"

"Hijikata is moaning for some mayo and something about the moon," replied Shinpachi as he opened the screen. "Okita has a monster hangover and handling it like a wimp, in my opinion."

Gintoki smirked. "The sadist can dish it but not take it. Typical."

"Katsura is already up and doing some exercises on the roof with Elizabeth," continued Shinpachi as he went over to the closet and began pulling out Gintoki's wedding clothes. Being the best man meant he had certain tasks and ensuring his best friend was dressed and ready for his wedding was high on the priority list; as was making sure he made it to the ceremony on time. "And Hasegawa is spooning the sake bottle."

"Sounds about right," chuckled Gintoki as he slowly got out of bed and stretched his arms high above his head. "So this is it, huh? Ol' Gin-chan finally ties the knot and settles down. I bet my fans weren't expecting that."

Shinpachi smirked. "I think many of them were hoping you'd get with Hijikata."

Gintoki shuddered. "No thanks, I really don't want to kiss Mayo Breath for the rest of my life."

"And I wouldn't want to get a cavity from kissing you," shouted Hijikata from the living room followed by the sound of something hitting the floor. "Oh god, too much noise."

"Shut up!" shouted Okita only to groan loudly. " _Ugh_! Now look at what you made me do."

Shinpachi sighed as he went over to the screen door and slid it closed to try and muffle the sound. It was far too early to be dealing with all of this. He turned around and found Gintoki holding the shirt of his wedding outfit, looking at it like it was a dying friend.

"Do you think I'll be a good husband?" asked Gintoki quietly as he stared at his wedding clothes.

It was strange to him to actually be putting these on, after all this waiting and longing, he was finally going to do this but at the same time it filled him with trepidation. He had nothing to model himself off of, none of the men in his life were ever married or were in great relationships; most of how he acted with Kagura was just instinct and improvisation. He could get away with that as her boyfriend but as her husband . . . it felt like he should do something differently and with more consideration.

"I'm sure you will," said Shinpachi encouragingly. He wondered where this was coming from but decided not to ask. It was very rare for Gintoki to open up and he was not about to ruin the moment. "Kagura's obviously happy with you and her dad would definitely let you know if he didn't think you were the right one for Kagura. You're going to be a great husband and even a terrific father someday."

Gintoki smirked. "I wouldn't go throwing that word around, Shinpachi. At the rate we're going, we won't be having children anytime soon."

"Your honeymoon will change that," said Shinpachi with a snicker. "A week without anyone barging in on you and no distractions other than food? You and Kagura will be all over each other."

"I like the sound of that," said Gintoki with a bright smile and he turned to face his best friend. "C'mon, I have a wedding to get to."

* * *

Kagura awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and wind chimes fluttering in the breeze while sunshine poured into the room from the many windows inside. The noises were so peaceful and calm and the day seemed beautiful for her wedding. She huffed and buried herself further into the futon, pulling her pillow on top of her head for good measure; it was all she could do not to throw the pillow at the birds. She did not sleep well at all the previous night and it was all stupid Gintoki's fault. He just had to agree to Tae's suggestion that they did not see each other before the ceremony and that they stayed in separate houses for the night. Granted Tae threatened him at sword point, but still! He should have argued, but no, he gave in and she was forced to stay in Tae's guesthouse without him.

She pouted as she nestled further into the blankets. She had nightmares last night, terrifying ones and when she woke up, he was not there to hold her and tell her that it was just a bad dream. He was good at that. He was always good at chasing away her fears and giving her courage when she felt cowardly. She really needed him last night and for the first time in a long time, he was not there.

"Kagura," came Tae's voice from the other side of the door. "Kagura are you up? I have some breakfast for you."

"Not hungry," she mumbled, clutching her stomach. It felt like it was full of angry butterflies and food did not appeal to her for once in her life.

Something crashed on the other side of the door and Kagura shot up, pillow and blankets flying in different directions. She barely saw Tae's retreating form before it registered in her mind it was the breakfast tray that fell. Kagura shrugged as she laid back down on the futon, she was not in the mood to eat and she was not sure if she ever would be again.

" _What the hell did you do to her?!"_ raged Gintoki so loudly that Tae needed to hold her cellphone away from her ear.

"Nothing," she snapped. "All I did was go to her room and told her I had food."

Gintoki was silent on the other end for a few moments. _"Let me talk to her."_

Tae's brow furrowed. "No, you're not supposed—"

" _We're not supposed to see each other,"_ countered Gintoki before she could get the words out. _"You never said anything about talking on the phone. Besides, I think I know what's wrong. Just let me talk to her for a few minutes."_

Tae sighed heavily. "Fine, but only for a few. She still needs to get ready and so do you."

" _Don't worry, Shinpachi's all over that,"_ said Gintoki with a smile in his voice.

Tae headed back to the guesthouse and knocked on the door. "Kagura, Gintoki wants to talk to you."

Kagura sat up immediately and almost leapt for the door but stopped herself. "I don't want to talk to that perm-headed idiot! This is his fault to begin with."

"She says it's your fault," said Tae into the phone.

" _I thought she might,"_ said Gintoki. _"Put the phone on speaker and then slip it through the door. Even if she doesn't want to talk to me, I can still help."_

"Alright," said Tae as she did what he instructed. She was glad that the door was not locked, as her phone might not fit through the crack.

Kagura watched as Tae quickly slid the phone into the room and then closed the door again. She glared at the device and firmly turned her back to it.

" _Kagura, I'm sorry,"_ said Gintoki softly. _"I should've been there to protect you from your nightmare, like I always am. I'm sorry for being an idiot."_

She smiled a little.

" _I didn't sleep well last night either,"_ he continued and her ears perked up. _"I missed you so much, I couldn't sleep until really late and I kept tossing and turning."_ He chuckled warmly. _"I guess we're quite the pair."_

Kagura's smile widened and she dove for the phone, taking it off speaker and pressing it to her ear like her life depended on it, barely remembering that she could break the fragile device with just a bit more pressure. "I guess we are."

" _It's so good to hear your voice,"_ sighed Gintoki contentedly. _"Can you believe we're getting married today?"_

"No," she giggled. "It seems so weird!"

Gintoki chuckled. _"Well, I hope it isn't too weird, otherwise we might have some problems already."_

Kagura shook her head. "No, it's not weird like that. It's just weird to think that after today, we won't be boyfriend and girlfriend or engaged . . . we'll be married and husband and wife. It's like a dream come true."

" _It is,"_ he agreed, sounding distant. _"Kagura, I know we'll see each other later and say this sappy crap then, but I just want you to know that you're probably the best thing to ever happen to me. I wouldn't be half the man I am without you standing behind me, pushing me every step of the way. I can't imagine doing anything in my life without you by my side."_

Kagura felt tears well up in her eyes. "I feel the same way, Gin. I love you."

" _I love you, too,"_ he said with a smile in his voice. _"Now, go get ready. I plan on marrying a beautiful woman today, not some skinny brat that claims to be a grown up."_

"I am a grown up!" she snapped despite knowing he was goading her on. "You're the one who needs to learn to grow up."

Gintoki laughed. _"I think we've already established that I'm growing up. I have a steady job now that pays fairly well and we're working towards owning our home. We've both grown up considerably, Kagura."_

She smiled sadly. "I guess we have. I don't want to grow up, Gin-chan, it's scary."

" _I know, Kagura,"_ said Gintoki softly. _"But if growing up means I get to be with you, I'll gladly do it."_

"Me too," whispered Kagura as tears fell down her pale cheeks. "I'll see you soon."

" _Same."_

* * *

The day was as sunny as the morning promised. If he took the time to look around, Gintoki would have seen the bright blue sky above his head, stretching out like an endless sea; he might have heard the leaves as the wind moved through them, shaking the branches on which they sat or noticed the sweet way the birds sang. He might have even realized that the weather and day itself were absolutely perfect for a wedding, but he did not.

The only thing Gintoki noticed was the sound of blood rushing in his ears while his heart pounded wildly in his chest. His eyes were firmly locked on the devastating creature approaching him with such intent, he felt weak in the knees. His palms felt sweaty the closer it got and he discreetly wiped them on his sleeves, hoping it went unnoticed. He could not afford to look weak or nervous now, not when he needed to exude confidence and calm, two things he was certainly not at the moment.

"Something wrong, Gintoki?" whispered Shinpachi when he noticed his friend's distress.

Gintoki slightly shook his head. He would have told his friend that he was just nervous about this day but his mouth seemed to forget how to work so he hoped his gesture conveyed enough reassurances.

Kagura smiled at him as she glided down the grassy path on her father's arm. He felt his lips twist up and into what he hoped was a nice smile, but he could be wrong and decided not to look too closely at Kagura's face at that moment. Instead, he took in the sight that was approaching him. She was wearing a red _qipao_ just like he hoped she would, her vermillion hair was pulled back and up, all of it hidden under a large hair ornament of red and gold coloring. She was carrying a small bouquet of red rose buds, which he thought looked like ripe strawberries. Her bright blue eyes were swimming with tears and her pales cheeks were flushed pink. She was truly the vision he saw that night not too long ago when he decided that he could never lose her.

The bride-to-be was busy trying to calm her galloping heart. Never had she been so nervous. Not even when she faced off against her brother for the first time. That she knew how to handle, it was her stupid big brother after all, but this was different. She never had been a wife before; this was new and uncharted territory. That morning, after getting off the phone with Gintoki, it really hit her that she was doing something important and unknown. She recalled the conversation she had with her friends, as she was getting ready for the wedding, when she subtly inquired about how to be a good wife:

" _Don't let him forget who's in charge of your marriage," Tae says lovingly. "And a full Nelson every now and then can't hurt."_

" _I'm learning that crying over nothing is a great way to get his attention," says Kyuubei with a sly grin. Something about it told Kagura that she only did it to freak out her fiancé. "And if that doesn't work, you could always try holding a sword to his family jewels."_

" _I've never been married," says Hinowa gently, "but a revealing outfit and demure behavior goes a great way in getting a man to agree to whatever you want."_

" _Don't listen to them," says Tsukuyo quietly. "You already know what works and doesn't with Gintoki. Just do those things and your marriage will be fine."_

Kagura smiles just a little wider. Of course Tsukki could see through her terrible question and obvious self-doubt. The woman was trained in the art of reading people better than they knew themselves. She knew now the others were aware of why she asked but were being polite and answering honestly, probably hoping to reassure her without calling her out. She was glad Tsukuyo had not followed suit.

"Who gives this woman away?" asked Kondo, breaking both the bride and groom from their mutual revelry.

"I do," said Umibozu, his voice thick as he took Kagura's hand and placed it in Gintoki's.

Umibozu looked at Gintoki and they nodded as Gintoki's hand closed around Kagura's. Gintoki understood that the monster hunter was giving him a great treasure and was silently ordering him to protect it with his life. Umibozu understood that Gintoki was accepting that task and was more than ready to act on it.

Gintoki and Kagura then looked at each other. For a split second, they were both transported back to the first day they met, when Gintoki crashed into her with his scooter and then she respectively crashed into his life. All those years ago, neither one could imagine that this is where they would end up, but if they were given the chance they would gladly repeat every single action that led to this moment. Even those when they nearly lost the other. It was all worth it.

"Thank you," said Kando as Gintoki and Kagura stood hand in hand in front of him. "Today, at the request of the bride and groom, we will be doing a simple saké ceremony as was the tradition of samurai." He then looked at Tsukuyo and Shinpachi, both of whom stepped forward with small pitchers of warmed saké and three dishes in their hands.

Kagura and Gintoki smiled. This was exactly what they wanted, a simple ceremony that reflected their status as warriors and honor Gintoki's deceased master. They watched as Tsukuyo and Shinpachi set the pitchers and shallow dishes on the table in front of them, pouring some sake into the smallest of the dishes. When they were finished, they handed them to Gintoki and Kagura; the pair each took three sips from the small cup, ensuring to finish off the alcohol on the third sip. They repeated this cycle with a medium sized dish and a large sized dish. Kagura found the alcohol a little difficult to handle, given that she never drank any until today, but she enjoyed the taste. Gintoki found the saké tasted better today than any other time he drank it, even the previous night's had nothing on what he was drinking now.

When they were finished with their drink, Kando smiled at them and gestured at Gintoki, who stepped forward beaming proudly. There was one more part of the ceremony and he had been preparing for it for weeks, studying when he thought Kagura was asleep or between bakes at the bakery.

He cleared his throat and spoke loudly for all to hear, "We make this marriage vow respectfully before the Hachiman deity. We Gintoki and Kagura are delighted to be able to make our vows on this great day, and to become husband and wife through the blessing of the Hachiman deity. We swear before the Hachimang deity to love and respect each other forever, and to strive to bring our family prosperity. Moreover, we swear never to veer from the true path of matrimony, and to work to share the divine grace of Hachiman deity by helping people and society."

He looked over at Kagura and smiled widely at his blushing bride, who smiled back at him to the point he was sure her cheeks probably hurt. This was more than he could have ever dared hope when he was a child, wandering around aimlessly trying to survive or when he was a samurai, fighting a war he did not want to be part of to begin with. If he could, he would travel back in time and tell his younger selves that it would all be worth it, that all his suffering would lead him to the most amazing woman.

Kagura wanted to cry and laugh, her emotions were so high right now she was not sure which she should do. She wanted to laugh because she was so happy that she and Gintoki were finally married, that those dark times would never come to pass because she had him at her side and together, they could conquer anything. She wanted to cry because she missed her mother and brother, she wanted her entire family here to see the happiest day of her life. She wanted to go back to when she was a smile child, sitting in the rain, dreaming of the sun, and tell her that she would find a sun that would not hurt. That she would find a family that did not break apart because of violence. That the sun and family would be wrapped up in the same person, someone who would love and treasure her forever.

"And as this vow is made by those who are of sound and moderately sober mind," said Kando and Gintoki rolled his eyes. He was hung over, not drunk. "I now pronounce that they are bound until their deaths as husband and wife. Gintoki, you may kiss your bride."

"Finally!" he said as he turned and cupped Kagura's face in his hands. They both leaned in and pressed their lips together in a warm and tender kiss. Yes, they could do this. Together.


End file.
